MORPHINE. 
27 
may frequently be seen in the streets of Hongkong. It is on the wing throughout the year, probably 
having a brood every month. Clerome has a rather weak and flapping flight, but twists and winds 
between tree-trunks and through thickets, generally not far from the ground. It rests with closed 
wings, showing the circular white spots on the underside; apparently not trying specially to conceal 
itself, though it is rather conspicuous when resting on a leaf, but I have never seen it attacked by 
anything. It occasionally blunders into a spider’s web, but probably very seldom falls a victim to 
the mantis, as I do not remember seeing Clerome feed at either flowers or fruit, where the mantis 
generally waits in ambush. The largest and commonest mantis here is Hierodula saussureit , 
Kirby, and the vigorous and lightning snatches of this insect account for many torn and ragged 
butterflies which have managed to escape. Clerome , however, though not partial to flowers, sucks 
up secretions from leaves of plants and is fond of sitting on damp ground, drinking up the 
moisture. This butterfly has rather soft-textured wings and is liable to malformation of them. 
It seems to be confined to South-east China, and to inhabit a restricted area there, though very 
plentiful where it occurs. It does not vary seasonally. The sexes are similar, but the $ has a tuft 
of hairs on the upperside of the hindwing at the edge of the disc, cell, next the body: usually 
concealed by the inner margin of the forewing, but capable of being erected and expanded fan-wise 
at will. The £ is generally much larger than the and the suffused orange in the forewing is 
brighter and extends over the apex nearly to the margin. The costal nervure of the forewing is 
somewhat dilated at the base in this insect. 
Fig. 9, PI. Ill is from a $ taken in February, and Fig. 11, PL VII is from a <£ taken 
in May. 
Egg, globular, smooth, dirty white; twenty, thirty or more are attached to the underside 
of a leaf of the foodplant, close together but not actually touching each other. Occasionally one 
comes across a monstrosity of two or three eggs formed into a two or three-lobed mass, such as 
is sometimes found in the eggs of birds. 
Larva and pupa are figured on PI. ia, Fig. 17. The larva just hatched is white with a 
black head. When young the larvae are gregarious, lying close together on the underside of a leaf 
eating side-by-side with scarcely room to move their heads. When nearly fullgrown, half-a-dozen 
or so will often rest parallel to and touching one another. Just before pupation the larvae turn a 
dirty greenish-white. They feed on Smi'lax lancecefolia , Roxb., a climbing and twining plant native 
to south-eastern Asia, Nat. Ord. Liliacece; also, but less frequently, on Pandanus odoratissimus y 
Linn., fi, a common and exceedingly prickly plant much employed as hedges for gardens, native to 
the shores of the southern Pacific, Nat. Ord. Pandanacece or Screw-pines. 
The pupae of both Satyrince and Morphince are attached by the tip of the abdomen^ 
without any band round the middle. The imagines of these two groups, except Yphth ima , usually 
rest with closed wings. 
