NOTES. 219 



5. Notes by the Way. — In company with two Entomologist 

 friends I have recently visited the low-country below Koslanda 

 (in the Province of Uva) ; making Telulla resthouse our head- 

 quarters. These notes cover a period extending from November 

 15 to 24. 



On a section of the road between Koslanda and Wellawaya a 

 few examples of the rare and local butterfly SymplicBdra nais 

 were observed and captured. I am told that it always haunts this 

 particular locality. I have previously taken the species only on 

 the road to Batticaloa. Manders quotes " the eastern side of the 

 Island near Trincomalee and the grassy country near Haldum- 

 mulla" as localities for this insect. 



The annual migration of butterflies was in full progress. 

 Large numbers of them were following the cart road, appearing 

 to find it a convenient route for travel. They were moving in a 

 northerly direction. Catopsilia crocale and Apinas paulina 

 were most in evidence. But Hebomoia glaucippe, Ixias ceylonica, 

 Papilio erithonius, Jason, crino, and aristolochice were associated 

 with them. Euplcea asela was also on the move, but not in very 

 large numbers. It was distinctly a flight of Pieridae, more 

 particularly of the genus Catopsilia. They settled in dense 

 array at every damp spot in the road, and rose up in whirling 

 clouds when disturbed by passing carts or pedestrians. Various 

 species of Cassia along the route had evidently provided food for 

 their larvae. P. aristolochice appeared to be more exclusive, 

 having its separate congregating spots. Crino usually settled 

 singly. The other butterflies, noticed above, might be seen 

 mingled in the same group. A very remarkable abnormality of 

 erithonius was captured by one of my companions and has been 

 presented by him to the Colombo Museum. The area beyond 

 the postmedial band on both wings is almost uniformly black. 



We collected moths, each night, pitching our powerful 

 acetylene lamps in different spots— often in the heart of the jun- 

 gle, and secured a prodigious number of moths and miscellaneous 

 insects, including such rarities as Azygophleps scalaris, Gunda 

 apicalis, Stauropus viridescens and S. grisea, Mimeusemia ceylo- 

 nica, and ^gocera himacula ; with many smaller species probably 

 new to our lists. My attention was drawn, one night, to an insect 

 that, to outward appearances, was an ordinary " Daddy-long-legs " 

 {Tipula). It had captured a small Pyralid moth, which it was 

 holding" with its hind legs and devouring. On closer exami- 

 nation it proved to be one of the so-called " Scorpion Flies " 

 {Panorpidce) and appears to be a species of Bittacus. To the 

 best of my belief, this family of insects has not previously been 



2 G 10-06 



