338 
CEYLON 
secured a fine specimen of each sex fluttering on the flowers of 
Glerodendron infortunatum , Linn., a plant called by the Sinhalese 
Gas-pinna. This most aristocratic butterfly, which has all the 
magnificat air of a Kandyan Chief, is peculiar to Ceylon. The male 
had a slight spicy scent, the female a slight disagreeable one. 
The little brilliant yellow Terias hecabe , Linn., was by far the 
commonest Pierine, being especially numerous near the sea. It has 
a jerky flight, close to the ground; when disturbed after 4 p.m. it 
settles again almost at once. Of the twenty specimens taken on the 
West Coast no less than fifteen (11 4 ?) were of the wet-season 
form, as against two (one of each sex) that were of the dry-season 
form; three (2 d, 1 $) were intermediate in character. Next in order 
of abundance was Gatopsilia pyranthe , Linn., of which indeed I saw 
far more here than in any place. The males undoubtedly have a 
sweet scent, which may be compared to that of Stephanotis. In one 
female a similar scent was noted, but in two others it is described 
simply as “ sweet,” with the qualification (when submitted to Mrs. 
Longstaff) “ a little bit hair-oily.” Of C. pomona, Fabr., I took but 
one at Mt. Lavinia, a very large female of the typical form, and noted 
of it: “ flies faster than pyranthe ; had a very slight sweet scent, both 
alive and after death.” 
From the imperfectly expressed statements of several natives I 
gathered that we had just missed one of those butterfly flights for 
which Ceylon is famous; it had occurred at about Christmas, but 
would seem not to have been of the first order of magnitude. 
The somewhat gaudy Delias eucharis , Drury, was not common. 
The only other Pierine observed was a solitary Nychitona xiphia, Eabr. 
Of the Blues I saw several kinds, the prevailing genus was 
Oastalius , the commonest species rosimon, Eabr., which was, however, 
confined to the Cinnamon Garden; two specimens were observed at 
rest, with their wings closed and their tail towards the sun. Of 
G. ethion, Dbl. & H., an insect that I had not taken before, I secured 
one example. Of Lampides celeno , Cram., so abundant at Kandy, I 
took but one; of Zizera lysimon I got two. Of Everes parrhasius , 
Fabr., I took two females in the Cinnamon Gardens; both were settled 
with their heads downwards, and both were moving their hind-wings 
in the manner peculiar to Lycaenids. 1 Talicada nyseus, Guer., was 
common near the railway station; a specimen was watched moving 
its hind-wings. 
Of the Satyrines I met with but one species on the coast, the 
pretty Yphthima ceylonica , Hew. Bingham considered this to be a 
1 See above, p. 104, also Chap. X., § 10. 
