70 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



resulting in failure, the whole account was rather summarily set down as a fabri- 

 cation, pure and simple. Later on, however, M. Moreau de Jounes, who spent 

 many years of an observant life in Martinique, and was consequently well quali- 

 fied to speak on the habits of these huge spiders, bears out Madame Merian's 

 account, and distinctly states that " it climbs on the branches of trees to surprise 

 the Colibris (humming birds) and the Certhicu flaveola." M. Palisot de Beauvais 

 also asserts that M. Blundii is known to kill and devour birds, and Percivalin his 

 account of Ceylon says the same of M. fasciata. That spiders of the genus 

 Myyale do catch and eat birds is, I think, now pretty well acknowledged, and the 

 following account given to me by a lady, in whom I can repose the utmost con- 

 fidence, will serve as another case in point to establish tliis fact : — 



A few years ago, a pair of martins* built their nest in the verandah of this 

 lady's house on the Shevaroy HiHs, and, as she always takes a lively interest in 

 animate nature, she allowed the birds to remain undisturbed, and watched with 

 keen interest the process of building and incubation. On coming out one morning, 

 however, she was surprised to find the parent bird missing from the nest, and on 

 looking about the verandah her eyes fell on a huge spider with the bird iu its 

 clutches. Summoning her husband to her assistance she bade him despatch it, but 

 bird and spider were so mixed up that this was no easy matter, and the arachnoid 

 escaped into its den in the wall. On examining the bird it was found that the 

 skin only was left, the breast and other portions having been completely eaten up. 

 The spider had evidently caught the bird at night (the usual hunting hours of 

 the Mygalida?), and had carried it along the rafters, a distance 2§ yards, to the 

 entrance to its abode and there eaten it. The spider in question, from the des- 

 cription given of it, must have been M. fascia ta, a species not unknown on the 

 Shevaroys. 



A. W. MORRIS. 



ENGLISH NOMENCLATURE FOR INDIAN BUTTERFLIES. 



To the Editor of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 



Sir, — It must have struck many people, besides myself, as very strange that 

 we have as yet no English name for our Indian butterflies, except, perhaps, a very 

 few for insects resembling English ones. In England the majority of common 

 butterflies have one, if not more popular names, more or less appropriate, and some 

 even poetical and beautiful. These names are principally derived from some strik- 

 ing feature in their appearance or peculiarity of habit. Surely our Indian butter- 

 flies are not so devoid of peculiarities that ouringenuity cannot snpply them with 

 some simpler, more expressive names than long, double barrel Latin ones, which 

 convey nothing of the insect's appearance or habits. I think, if anything, our 

 Indian butterflies possess a much more varied life history and distinguishing 

 peculiarities. Another useful point to be gained also would be that we should learn 



* Judging from the birds that have now built in the same spot these must have 

 been C. concolor. 



