MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 317 



Broken Tusks — 



Length ... ... ... ... 5' 6" 



Circumference at gum ... ... 1' 4|" 



Circumference inside the gum ... 1' 4f 



Weight, 3 days after death. ... 56 lbs. 



CHARLES DALEY, 

 Asst. Engr., Bengal-Nagpur Railway. 



Telaupali, Sambidpur via Raigarh, 

 September 1889. 



35.— A BRANCHING ARECA-NUT PALM, 



1 have to add to the accounts of branching Palms, formerly recorded in our 

 Journal, the following note of a branching Areea-Nut Palm (Areca catecour) now 

 standing in a garden at this place. It is said to be 10 years old, and is about 20 

 feet high. About 3 years ago it was attacked by a disease called " Band, " 

 which has killed many trees here, when the top almost died away, and has now 

 been replaced by 15 to 18 distinct tops, growing in a flat close bundle 'in such a 

 manner that one cannot count them accurately without climbing the tree. The 

 whole tree has now the appearance of a gigantic housemaid's-broom, except that 

 the " business end" is green and not yellow. 



This case supports the theory put forward in this Journal that these abnormal 

 branching palms are the result of injury to the trees. 



It will be worth while to watch whether the branches mature. At present they 



are only in the green state, and it is likely that they will die off before they set 



into hard wool, but I have requested that the tree may be carefully preserved. 



W. F. SINCLAIR, 



Bo. C. S. 

 Camp Shrhoardhau, Janjira State, 



Ilk December 1889. 



17.— MIMICRY IN CATERPILLARS. 



I have just read Mr. Hart's note, published in the last number of the Journal, 

 on the Caterpillars which, as long as it is small, mimics the excrement of birds. 

 I have frequently kept that species from egg to imago ; all the butterflies I got 

 were superficially alike, and I did not think of distinguishing males and females. 

 But with reference to Mr. Hart's idea that the mimicry is to deceive birds, I have 

 found that several birds will not eat that particular species of caterpillar, because 

 of its evil smell, and, I presume, equally evil taste. The caterpillars are common 

 during the rains on orange and pumelo trees, so now that Mr. Hart has raised 

 questions many observations will probably be made. 



BENJAMIN AITKEN. 



Lvjchww, September 1889. 



