NOTES. 45 



constantly falling over the mainland but only get slight 

 drizzles. That was the case this evening. It rained heavily 

 over the land. 



GREGORY STAPLETON. 

 ss. " Ceylon," off Little Basses Lighthouse, 

 November 24, 1912. 



4. A " Thunderbolt " 7iear Colombo.— On April 3, 1912, 

 I went to Jaffna from Colombo by the ss. " Lady McCallum." 

 Soon after leaving Colombo we ran into a severe thunder- 

 storm at about 5 p.m. During the course of the storm a severe 

 crash was heard and at the same moment I saw, less than half 

 a mile away, a vivid red flash pass downwards into the water 

 followed by a hissing sound and a splash. Immediately 

 afterwards a column of steam arose to a height of about 

 20 feet. I attribute this phenomenon to the presence of 

 a meteorite. Whether the crash I heard was due to thunder 

 or to the approach of the " thunderbolt " I am not able to say. 

 The red flash, which was in marked contrast to the bluish- 

 white hghtning flashes, was evidently caused by the descent of 

 an incandescent body. This would account for the hissing 

 noise as the body plunged into the water and for the column 

 of steam which was seen immediately afterwards. 



Colombo Museum, JOSEPH PEARSON. 



February 25, 1913. 



5. Note on the Occurreiice of Melanitis ismene {Cramer) at 

 Sea. — On October 24 last, a specimen of this butterfly was 

 captured on board the ss. " Oxfordshire," of the Bibby Line, 

 while crossing the Arabian sea, on her maiden voyage to 

 Colombo, the ship at the time being over 600 miles from 

 Minikoi. The butterfly, which was still active at the time of 

 capture, belonged to the so-called wet-season form of Melan- 

 itis ismene. As gentle head winds had been encountered for 

 some time before , it seems probable that the specimen had been 



