PROCEEDINGS OF THE TIIIKD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 903 



species, indeed a pest, in most parts of India. When disturbed, its flight 

 is extremely swift, as you all know, and it certainly is difficult to follow 

 with the eye then. How iai that is clue to the mere rapidity of the flight 

 and how far it is due to the blending of the colours of the wings, I should 

 not like to say. Possibly some of us may be able to make observations 

 on it in the near future. 



Another point brought out bj'' Dr. Hankin's paper is the manner in 

 which entomological observations may prove of great utility iu other 

 fields. In the present case it has been suggested that, if the coloims of 

 the underside, especially of the hind-wing, in Pafilio demolevs make 

 for invisibility diu'ing rapid flight, such a scheme of colour might be 

 applied to military aeroplanes in order to reduce their visibility when 

 flying low. How far such a thing is practicable and how far a colour- 

 scheme which might reduce visibility against a glaring Indian sky would 

 produce the same result under European conditions, I cannot say, but 

 Dr. Hankin's remarks are certainly suggestive. 



60.— THE PEOPORTIONS OF THE FEMALE FORMS OF PAPILIO 

 POLYTES, L.. IN THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF ITS GEO- 

 GRAPHICAL RANGE. 



By Edward B. Poulton, D.Sc, F.R.S., Fellow of Jesus College, Oxjord, 

 and Hope Professor of Zoology in the University. 



The investigation here suggested is of great interest and importance 

 and at the same time very easy to carry out. AH that is required is to 

 breed the butterflies from indiscriminately collected larvae in each locality 

 and send the specimens to me at the University Museum, Oxford, so that 

 they may be sexed and recorded. Additional value will be given to the 

 investigation by obtaining as full and accurate a record as possible of 

 the relative proportions to each other and to their mimics in the same 

 locality of the two models, Papilio hector, L., and P. aristolochice, F. 

 If it be found impossible to breed the forms of polyles, interesting results 

 may be gained, although of much less value, by the indiscriminate collec- 

 tion of the butterflies, f)articularly if all or as nearly as j^ossible all the 

 specimens seen on any given occasion are taken. 



A short abstract of the results already obtained will show the great 

 need for further investigations. 



Ceylon. Mr. J. C. F. Fryer has recorded in Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc., 

 Lond,, Series B. Vol. 204 (14th November 1913), p. 249, the results of 

 breeding from 1-55 indiscriminately collected wild larvae, viz., 66 males, 

 40 male-like fehiales (eyrus. Hubn.), 24 romulus, F., females mimicking 

 P. hector, and 2.3 polytes, L., females mimicking P. aristohchiw. It is 

 suggested that these results may be significant. 



