MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 871 



No. XXXVI.— LIFE HISTORY NOTES ON COORG BUTTERFLIES, 



I do not think that the puzzling distribution of the S. Indian Ypthima 

 has yet attracted the attention it deserves. 



Starting in the extreme South with Y. i/pthh)ioides of Travancore and 

 the Tinnevelly hills with a slightly differentiated form on the Palnis in the 

 neighbourhood of Kodaikanal, we find its place taken on the Anamialais 

 by Y. chenui. This exceedingly weak-flying species seems to have had no 

 difficulty in crossing "the Palghat gap", that well-known Zoological barrier 

 for many species, and is found in suitable localities on the Nilgiris in small 

 colonies. Between the Nilgiris and the Brahmagiris there is a distinct 

 break in the Western Ghats, so that it is not surprising to find Y. chenui 

 absent on these latter hills though they run up to nearly 6,000 feet. How- 

 ever, it turns up again in the next high range northward, the Western Ghats 

 in Coorg with their highest peak Tadiandamol (5,730 feet). On this hill and 

 on another peak slightly S. of it at the summit Y. chenui is abundant 

 enough, but extremely local, only occurring where the forest fires have 

 spared the tender grass on which its larva feeds. This grass {ISathistira 

 ciliata) is common enough in Coorg, but at higher elevations cannot stand 

 continual burning. At all events I have failed to find Y. chenui fiirther 

 northward along the Western Ghats where Y. philomela suddenly makes 

 its appearance flying freely W. of Mercara during and after the S.-W. 

 monsoon. I have never found Y . pliiloniela in S. Coorg nor on the Western 

 Ghats, S. of Mercara, though it is fairly abundant in the Nilgiri Wynaad 

 over 50 m. to the S. of Mercara. N. of Mercara it will only be found 

 sparingly in open grass land. 



The discontinuous distribution of all these S. Indian grass-feeders may 

 perhaps be attributed to the prevalence of grass fires all along the Western 

 Ghats from the Cardamon Hills in Travancore to theBaba Budens in Mysore. 

 At all events the discontinuity is worthy of note. 



PoLLiBETTA (26/A A2^ril 1918). Saw an amusing encounter this morning 

 between a crow and an Atlas moth. At first it looked 10 to 1 on the crow 

 as the moth — a female — was apparently flying in an utterly dazed fashion. 

 Each time, however, that the crow made a dash, the moth " jerked" in 

 some extraordinary way, escaping death by inches each time. After about 

 five futile attempts the crow got disgusted and flew into a neighbouring teak 

 tree. The moth at once settled in full view of the crow, but to my astonish- 

 ment the latter made no attempt at the sitting shot and shortly afterwards 

 flew oft' leaving the moth in possession. As a rule the Atlas moth keeps to 

 fairly thick jungle and one rarely sees them in the open where a bird 

 can get a good view of them. Apparently, even in these unfavourable 

 circumstances, a slow-flying moth can keep it's end up. In Coorg the most 

 usual food-plant of the Atlas moth larva appears to be Ardisia hujiilis, though 

 I have also found it on Cavega arhorea. The life of this moth in a perfect 

 state must be very short, its size making it so conspicuous and it does not 

 appear to be protected. 



After several unsuccessful attempts extending over three years, I suc- 

 ceeded in 1918 in breeding out Ci/aniris limbata c^ and *$ , a species which has 

 not been bred hitherto. The food-plant is a Hijdaffe (Nat. Ord. Malpighia- 

 ceas) growing on the Downs near Mercara and apparently midway between 

 Hiptaffe madablota and H. parmflora ; the leaves and flowers resembling 

 parvifiora while the seeds are winged as in madoblata. This scandent 

 shrub is only in flower near Mercara from January to March. The butterfly 

 is common all through the year and must therefors have other food-plants, 

 since the larva appears to feed solely upon the flowers. I have never 

 observed it eating the leaves nor making any attempt in that direction. 



