SOCIETIES. 28 



proboscis every time it takes pollen, but flies about with it extended 

 until it has quite a large amount of pollen sticking to it. Mr. 

 Woodward had captured at Eppinu Forest five AiJip/u'dasi/s stratiti'ut 

 on March 22nd, where he had also found lirepluis part/iritias, just 

 coming out. 



jSiEYIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



The Butterflies of Sumatra.*' 



This list, as it is callei by its authors, runs to just 200 pages. It 

 is not at all a dry series of names, but is annotated throughout with 

 remarks on the magnificent denizens, which haunt the woods to be 

 found in the north-east of the island. This tropical island contains 

 8,000 more square miles than the British Islands, and its position, 

 exactly bisected by the equator, makes it apparently a perfect paradise 

 of butterfly life, 756 species of which are given as inhabiting the north- 

 east of the island. The description of the island and of the collectors 

 employed is exceedingly interesting, but even here cultivation is playing 

 havoc with the insect fauna. ' ' The plains were formerly entirely covered 

 with large dense, lofty primeval forest, but this has had to make way 

 for the miserable tobacco plant, the cultivation of which began about 

 the year 1865. The primeval forest, once destroyed by fire and the 

 axe, does not grow again, but is replaced by a high-growing and 



tenacious species of grass {Imperata anuuUnana) 



which now entirely covers all the ground temporarily unoccupied by 

 tobacco. The cultivation of the nicotinous plant pays so highly and 

 yearly so increases in extent, that there is now no forest whatever 

 left in the true tobacco district of Deli .... and as the Iiiijicrata 

 anindlnacea is not liked by any animal, there have disappeared, not 

 only all the interesting pachyderms, but also all the butterflies whose 

 food-plants are in the forests. Ten or twelve years ago, or even six or 

 eight, certain species, for instance, the dift'erent black and brown 

 Knploeas, were to be found commonly everywhere. But then all the 

 forest had not been cut down ; now these species are never seen, having 

 retired to the well-wooded outer hills and mountains or to the 

 boundaries of the tobacco districts." 



Of the collectors we read: — "Our collectors were usually Battaks 

 from the two mountainous zones ; to places in the plains we usually 

 sent two very clever Chinamen. The latter were most zealous if given 

 some advance of pay, which allowed them to buy some necessary 

 provisions and the never-to-be-omitted opium. On their return with 

 their bag of captured butterflies they received the balance of their 

 monthly salary, together with an extra bonus for any rarer spoil they 

 may have been fortunate enough to capture. The Battaks received 

 some rice and salt fish, enough to feed them for a fortnight, before leav- 

 ing for the mountains, but as they are inveterate gamblers, and will not 

 turn out of their villages until they have lost at some game of hazard 

 every cent they possess, no advance in cash was given them." .... 

 In 1893 and 1894 Mr. de Niceville induced three amateur collectors 

 in British India to send down to Sumatra some of the well-known 

 Lepcha collectors from Darjiling to Dr. IMartin's care. These men met 

 with very good success, though at first they Avere afraid to mix with 



*A list of the Butterflies of Sumatra, by L. de Niceville, F.E.S., C.M.Z.S., and 

 Hofrath Dr. L. Martin [Calcutta : The Baptist Mission Press]. 



