156 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



In the Bengal Sporting Magazine for 1836, VII., p. 247, it is said that four 

 birds of this species were seen and one shot near Nagpnr, but the article 

 referred to is anonymous and of little value. 



E. C. STUART-BAKER. F.Z.S. 



Dibrugarh, Assam, July 1904. 



No. V.— THE OCCURRENCE OF THE MASKED FIN-FOOT 

 {HELIOPA1S PERSONATA) IN LAKHIMPUR. 



On the 14th June I had sent to me a very fine $ specimen of the Masked 

 Fin-foot which was obtained by Dr. Gregerson in a forest bheel or swamp on 

 the borders of this district. This bird which was breeding possessed a tiny 

 fronted shield and a yellow horn or fronted wattle about £" long and which 

 appeared to be erect during the bird's life. In colour it was a brilliant chrome 

 yellow like the beak. I have never seen this wattle referred to and it appears 

 to have been unnoticed up to now so that we may presume it to be seasonal. 



On the 10th June, I believe in the same bheel, Dr.T. More obtained a fine 

 female. The soft colours of this bird are far brighter than hitherto described, 

 probably also due to the bird being in breeding condition. 



E. C. STUART-BAKER, F.Z.S. 



Dibrugarh, Assam, July 1904. 



No. VI— THE ENEMIES OF BUTTERFLIES. 



I have been interested in the letters which have appeared in the Journal 

 lately on the subject of enemies of butterflies. The subject is of some impor- 

 tance in connection with the various forms of " protection " which are found 

 among them. A great many writers seem to assume that the principal enemies 

 against which butterflies have to guard themselves are birds, but I believe this 

 is an utter mistake. In fact, I believe that butterflies can afford to disregard 

 birds altogether. This is certainly not because birds do not like them as food, 

 but because every bird soon finds out that they are not worth the trouble of 

 catching. The peculiar zigzag flight of a butterfly makes it very difficult for 

 even a king-crow, or a bee-eater, to capture one on the wing, and when it thinks 

 it has succeeded, it gets a mouthful of wings and misses the body. I remember 

 only two instances which have come under my own observation. In one case a 

 bee-eater caught a Danais, but dropped it as soon as it had tasted it, and the 

 Banah flew away little the worse. In the other case the butterfly, Euthalia 

 garuda, had been slightly crippled by some accident, which a king-crow detected 

 at once, but it had some trouble to catch it. The flight of a moth is straight 

 and offers little difficulty, accordingly a moth can scarcely show itself by daylight 

 without being pursued. Dragonflies can cope with butterflies, however, and con- 

 stantly feed on the smaller kinds, especially the Lycaen/dce, which they may be 

 seen hawking over grass. I once saw a large dragonfly feeding on a Catopailia 

 catilla, but in the case of a butterfly of that size it must be very difficult for 

 even a dragonfly to get hold of the body in the midst of so much wing. 



