CEYLON BUTTERFLIES. 155 
** | have seen six or more together on wet patches on several 
occasions. Fairly plentiful in the Central Province hills ”’ 
(F. M. Mackwood). 
190. ZETIDES AGAMEMNON, M.; Papilio agamemnon, De 
N. & B.; Zetides agamemnon menides, K—Z. agamemnon is 
found in India, Malaya, China, &c., The race menides, which 
only differs in the greater length of the tails, is restricted to 
Southern India and Ceylon. 
It is common all over the low-country, but especially. so in 
the south. Not rare in the hills at times, and, as a rule, 
does not appear to be “ flighting,” as the direction of flight 
is seldom constant. In November, 1917, however, I saw it 
at Pattipola in great numbers, and on this occasion it was 
certainly “flighting,” as all were flying due south. 
It is most frequently caught when visiting flowers. It only 
stops a very short time at each blossom, so is not easy to 
capture. Occasionally the males may be taken settled on 
the mud near cattle sheds or lines. 
‘Fairly plentiful everywhere. Larva feeds on the soursop 
leaves ” (F. M. Mackwood). 
HESPERIID 2. 
This group of butterflies are not, as a rule, showy, and 
therefore they have been less studied than the others. From 
an economic point of view, however, they are the most import- 
ant group in Ceylon, as at least four species feed on paddy, 
two on coconut palms, two on ginger, one on sugar cane, &c. 
The literature is rather meagre, as they were not dealt with in 
De Niceville’s work, and have not been reached in the Fauna 
of India series. The leading work is still ‘“‘ A Revision of the 
Oriental Hesperiidz,” by Messrs. Elwes and Edwards (Trans- 
actions of the Zoological Society of London, Vol. XTIV.. 
Part 4). Unfortunately the authors had apparently few 
Ceylon specimens to examine, and I fear, therefore, that several 
of our species will require re-naming. 
This work mainly decides questions of specific identity by 
an examination of the prehensores of the males, and the 
authors point out “that a very considerable practice in 
