I92I.] N. Annandale & C. Dover: Fauna of Barkuda I. 333 



habits, amongst others that bush-hzards are rare on the island, 

 and bush-hunting birds practically non-existent, while the m^'nas 

 usually seize butterflies by the body rather than the wings. 



Notes on the Flight of Sundry Butterflies on the 



Island. 



The mode of flight of butterflies is dependent to a large 

 extent on circumstances such as the time of day, the strength and 

 direction of the wind, the condition of the barometer, the approach 

 of enemies and sexual excitement. Hence isolated observations 

 are often apt to be misleading. We offer the following observa- 

 tions for what they are worth. 



One of two captured specimens of the Satyrine, Mclanitis 

 leda ismene, was found flying at dusk in a slow jerky manner 

 making short circuits and settling on a shrub for a moment. It 

 returned again and again to the same tree. The same habit was 

 observed in other specimens not captured. 



The female of Hypolimnas holina has occasionally been seen 

 flying along at the height of about a hundred feet, rapidly vibrating 

 its wings for a short while, then gliding for a few yards, often 

 ascending higher and higher. Then, after reaching a considerable 

 height, it descends quite near to the ground. Apparently Enploea 

 core often flies in like manner, but it is impossible to distinguish 

 the two species at the elevation reached, and it is only after they 

 have descended that we have been able to discriminate them. 



Neptis hylas astola ( = eurynotne, Bing.) has a peculiar, fluttering 

 w^eak flight, but when alarmed it worms its way through thick 

 shrubbery or ascends to considerable heights. It has a peculiar 

 habit of returning to its old beat after a time. 



The Junonias as a rule fly low and swiftly. 



The Acraeid Telchinia violae hovers about low herbage and is 

 quite easy to capture, though it seems to suffer little from the 

 attacks of enemies. 



Papilio hector does not fly swiftly, but it steers an even course 

 and has a sustained flight. The general impression gained is that 

 it is flying mainly with its forewings. P. aristolochiae flies in a 

 somewhat similar manner, but sails about more slowly, and the 

 vibrations of the forewings are not so pronounced. 



The flight of all the forms of Papilio polytes is more or less 

 similar, except that the romv.lus form of female has a stronger and 

 higher flight than the rest. In P. polytes the flight is generally 

 swift and erratic and it seems as if the whole wing surface and not 

 only the forewings were being used. Often the flight is slow and 

 somewhat similar to that of Etiploea core, from which at a dis- 

 tance, the males and cyriis female can scarcely be distinguished. 



Papilio demoleus flies rather low but very rapidly, and is 

 one of the most difficult Papilios to capture.' A pecuflarity about 



' Dr. HanUin {Proc. Third Ent. Meet. Pitsa, 1 1 1, pp. 900-9 )3. 1920) notes 

 the comparative invisibility of P. demoleus durinsf flight. 



