1922. Moffat. — Habits of Buiieyjiies. 65 



more probable that a butterfly in charge of an area (as 

 this Fritillary seems to have been) would mistake the 

 flying stones for objectionable invaders to be chased off 

 the course than that it would take them for desirable 

 mates ? I would suggest that Mr. Praeger's Fritillary was 

 pursuing on a more modest scale the very same strategy as 

 were the large numbers of Red Admirals and Painted 

 Ladies that I had been watching the summer before on the 

 top of Boley. 



The battles on Boley must have had an object — system- 

 atically carried on as they were, day after day, by con- 

 siderable numbers of both kinds of butterflies, probably 

 throughout the whole of June. It was certainly the mating 

 season ; but no mating took place. I can only suggest that 

 the combatants on the mountain-top were all males, and 

 that the object of each in attacking new comers was to 

 keep the ground to himself in the hope that ultimately a 

 female would appear. If I am right it would seem to follow 

 that males are much the more numerous sex — or at least 

 the more addicted to migration. In any case, it seems 

 worth inquiring whether these remarkable butterfly- 

 tournaments are fought on many Irish hill-tops, and 

 whether the same tilting-grounds are patronised year after 

 year. 



Dublin. 



THE IRISH NATURALIST, 



Readers of this Magazine will be delighted to see on the 

 cover that Robert J. Welch, of Belfast, has consented to 

 resume his work as one of the editors. His co-operation, 

 always welcome and helpful, will be especially valued by 

 his colleagues at the present time of exceptional difficulty. 



