NOTES. 143 



gripping the antenna tenaciously. The butterfly proved to be 

 a specimen of Catopsilia crocale, and the edges of its wings 

 weve badly frayed with beating against the earth. I did not 

 notice any other ants in the vicinity, but doubtless they would 

 soon have rallied to their comrade's assistance from a neigh- 

 bouring mango tree which was thickly stocked with them. 



Colombo Museum, GEORGE M. HENRY. 



July 10, 1913. 



9. " Bloodsucker " Lizards eating small Birds* — In April 

 last a pair of sunbirds built their nest at the end of a whippy 

 branch of the Japanese Hibiscus in my garden. 



One morning on entering the garden I noticed a bloodsucker 

 lizard on the path trying to SAvallow something unusually 

 large. Close inspection showed it to be a newly-fledged young 

 bird. I made hnn drop it and found he had eaten the head. 

 I then noticed the sunbird's nest on the ground, containing 

 another young bird, the weight of the lizard having evidently 

 brought it to the ground. I tied it up as well as I could in its 

 original place, and the hen-bird at once began feeding the 

 surviving young one. Half an hour later I saw, what I believe 

 to be, the same hzard crawling out along the twig to the nest ; 

 so I killed it. . 



HaldummuUa, . W. ORMISTON. 



November 8, 1912. 



10. Length of Life of Butterflies in the perfect stage.* — In 

 breeding experiments with certain species of Mycalesis I have 

 noticed that all the females I put into cages to lay eggs seem 

 to live for about six weeks. They usually take two or three 

 weeks before starting to lay, but, once started, thej^ apparently 

 lay one or two eggs per diem till they die. I fancy they must 

 lay much more freely in a wild state. 



HaldummuUa, W. ORMISTON. 



November 8, 1912. 



* Read before the Ceylon Natural History Society, December 17, 

 1912. 



