MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 315 



made of wood and covered with brightly coloured lac, with which most of us are 

 familiar. The lac is put on by closely pressing a stick of it, of the required 

 colour, to the wood as it revolves in the lathe. When a sufficient quantity is 

 taken on to the wood the Pandauus leaf, folded into a small cushion, is applied 

 with some pressure, when the lac is spread aud most beautifully polished. 



J. A. BETHAM. 



11.— MIMICRY IN BIRDS. 

 Referring to Mr. W. E. Hart's paper on two instances of Mimicry, it may 

 perhaps be interesting to record in our Journal that there are quite a number 

 of birds in this country in which the power of mimicing sounds has been curiously 

 developed. Mostof us know that the two Common Shrikes of Butcher Birds Lanius 

 lahtora and L. erythronotus, as well as the Indian Skylark or Chandul (Alauda 

 guh/ tda) are capital mimics. The Racket-tailed Drongo, Bhimrqj, is also a splendid 

 mimic, but it is a difficult bird to keep in captivity. I was once in the forest below 

 Pachmarhi, and seeing some pea-fowl I tried to get near enough to get a shot at a 

 line male in full plumage. I had a Gond with me, so told him to wait below a 

 rock while I went on, and that if I wanted him I would whistle for him. My 

 stalk having failed, I whistled to my attendant and was immediately answered. I 

 waited some time, but as my friend the Gond did not turn up, I whistled again and 

 was again answered in exactly the same note. I waited a little longer and then 

 went through the same performance with the same result, and as it appeared the 

 Gond had either gone back or fallen asleep, I walked back to where I had left him 

 and found him contentedly smoking. " Why did you not come when I whistled?" 

 said I. "Oh," he replied, " was it you that whistled? I thought it was that 

 bird up there," and he pointed upwards at a racket-tailed Drongo high in the tree 

 overhead. I tried the bird again, several times with notes whistled in several differ- 

 ent tones, and was exactly answered by the bird. The imitation was exact and given 

 back as any human being could have done it. At first when I found out the decep- 

 tion I felt as if I could have made a specimen of Mr. Lrongo, but kinder feelings 

 prevailed and I let him go. On mentioning this to some friends a few days after- 

 wards a lady told me that she had possessed more than one Bhimruj, and that they 

 were extremely clever at imitating sounds, straight off, as do Parrots or the Black 

 Hill Mynas. She told me they were difficult birds to keep in captivity, but that 

 they became very tame and interesting pets. 



J. A. BETHAM. 



12.— PAPILIO POLYMNESTOR, P. DISS1MILIS AND P. PANOPE. 



I. Referring to the note by Mr. W. F.Melvin regarding Mr. Aitken's statement 

 the P. Polymnestor is unknown in Bombay, and possibly throughout the Konkan, 

 I looked back at the passage and find that I have noted that it was frequently 

 seen at Dapoli. I remember in my early days in India how the appearance of this 

 butterfly in our garden used to cause a display of the liveliest interest, the 

 younger members of the family rushing out to get a nearer view and possibly 

 secure a good specimen. It was fond of hovering over the flowers of the La ntana, 

 that bush with leaves that give out an odour of black-currants when bruised. 

 Camp Dapoli is situated in the S. Konkan some 70 miles below Bombay. 



