soft body, for when the
grub is pricked, either by the ovipositor of the ichneumon, or by any
other sharp instrument, the horn is at once protruded, and struck upon
the offending object with unerring aim.

Amongst the more common of the larger butterflies is the _P. Hector_,
with gorgeous crimson spots set in the black velvet of the inferior
wings; these, when fresh, are shot with a purple blush, equalling in
splendour the azure of the European "_Emperor_."

Another butterfly, but belonging to a widely different group, is the
"sylph" (_Hestia Jasonia_), called by the Europeans by the various names
of _Floater, Spectre,_ and _Silver-paper-fly_, as indicative of its
graceful flight. It is found only in the deep shade of the damp forest,
frequenting the vicinity of pools of water and cascades, about which it
sails heedless of the spray, the moisture of which may even be
beneficial in preserving the elasticity of its thin and delicate wings,
that bend and undulate in the act of flight.

The _Lycoenidoe_[1], a particularly attractive group, abound near the
enclosures of cultivated grounds, and amongst the low shrubs edging the
patenas, flitting from flower to flower, inspecting each in turn, and as
if attracted by their beauty, in the full blaze of sun-light; and
shunning exposure less sedulously than the other diurnals. Some of the
more robust kinds[2] are magnificent in the bright light, from the
splendour of their metallic blues and glowing purples, but they yield in
elegance of form and variety to their tinier and more
delicately-coloured congeners.

[Footnote 1: _Lycana polyommatus, &c._]

[Footnote 2: _Amblypodia pseudocentaurus, &c._]

Short as is the eastern twilight, it has its own peculiar forms, and the
naturalist marks with interest the small, but strong, _Hesperiidoe_,[1]
hurrying, by abrupt and jerking flights, to the scented blossoms of the
champac or the sweet night-blowing moon-flower; and, when darkness
gathers around, we can hear, though hardly distinguish amid the gloom,
the humming of the powerful wings of innumerable hawk moths, which hover
with their long proboscides inserted into the starry petals of the
periwinkle.

[Footnote 1: _Pamphila hesperia, &c._]

Conspicuous amidst these nocturnal moths is the richly-coloured
_Acherontia Satanas_, one of the Singhalese representatives of our
Death's head moth, which utters a sharp and stridulous cry when seized.
This sound has been variously conjec