326 
WEST INDIES AND SOUTH AMERICA 
black and white Blue. Thecla politus, H. H. Druce, 1 was to be 
had in some numbers on a flowering shrub in the Botanic Garden, 
close to the Governor’s house; of T. badaca , Hew., one occurred at 
St. Ann’s; the same may be said of T. spurius, Feld., but in this 
instance the butterfly was seen sitting head downwards: the hind-wing 
is folded and furnished with a large lobe; T . syncellus, Cram., one 
example of this very brilliant, dark purple-blue butterfly was taken 
on the Ariapeta path at about 1000 ft.; T. albata , Feld. ( sedecia , 
Hew.), one at La Brea; T. linns , Sulz., was rather common about 
the swamp near St. Ann’s reservoir, also far up the path at 1000 to 
1400 ft. This is a very distinct species, having a striped under¬ 
side ; the lobes are everted, though not quite to a right angle, and 
when the creature is at rest the tails are crossed representing the 
antennae of the false head, which indeed 
looks more like a head than does the real 
organ. [See Fig. 12.] 
Papilio polydamas, with its odour of 
musty straw, occurred in the Botanic 
Garden, and also at La Brea. I took a 
fine female of the beautiful P. cymochles 
Fig. 12. — Thecla linus at rest. ( zeuxis ) in a swamp at San Juan and a 
(a) Nat. 8i Z e;( & ) Lobe enlarged. male high up the Ariapeta path, and at 
the latter locality got one P. aeneides, Esp. ( gargarus , Hiibn.); it 
had a musty straw odour. 
Pierines were distinctly scarce, Callidryas appeared to be over; 
of Sphaenogona gratiosa I caught a male, also one of the same sex of 
Aphrissa statira , Cram., but this species was shy, restless, and wild, 
so that others escaped my clutches. Terias albula alone was common, 
and its light colour made it conspicuous; it occurred both at St. 
Ann’s and at St. Juan. 
Skippers were more numerous than Pierines, or at any rate more 
varied; Thymelicus vibex , Hiibn., of the yellowest form called by 
Plotz eombinata, two males at St. Ann’s; Heliopetes arsaltey with it's 
swift dashing flight was rather common; a small black Skipper was 
plentiful at San Juan, but probably I was too intent on larger game 
to pay much attention to it, for I caught only one, which proved to be 
Staphylus mazans, Peak. ( ascalaphus , Stdgr.); Gogia calchas, H.-Schaff., 
turned up in the Botanic Garden, as did the handsome Fire-tail, 
Pyrrhopyge venezuelae, Scudd. Single specimens of Eudamus catillus 
at Lantana, another seen ; Megistias telata , H.-Schaff.; Gymaenes silius, 
Latr., and Perimeles remus, Fabr., were found upon the Ariapeta Road. 
1 See below, p. 330. 
