370 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on 



Teracolus omphalc is of special interest, as I thiuk the 

 attack can only have been made by a bird. The same 

 applies to the Nydcmcra,{oY \\\'\^ insect invariably conceals 

 its hind-wings when settled, dropping immediately into 

 this position as it alights. I have occasionally observed 

 that it holds its wings over its back for a very short time 

 before closing them. I think the damage to the hind- 

 wings must be the result of two separate snaps from a bird 

 while the moth was on the Aving." 



The specimen of Teracolus ompltah was accidentally 

 omitted from the illustrations, but the Nyckincra is shown 

 on Plate X, fig. 8, and three of the best examples of injury 

 at an inner angle on Plates IX, figs. 15, 19, and 23. 



If it be granted that the injuries shown on Plates IX, X, 

 and XI are chiefly if not entirely due to enemies, the 

 question as to the kind of enemy remains to be settled. 

 The only probable foes are birds, reptiles, especially lizards, 

 and mantides. It is therefore of importance to show that 

 injuries entirely similar in character to those upon Mr. 

 Marshall's South African captures, are also found on but- 

 terflies from parts of the Holarctic Belt where mantides do 

 not exist and the attacks of lizards amount to so little that 

 they may be safely neglected. 



I have therefore included (on Plate X, figs. 26 and 28 to 

 33) the representation of a few butterflies with snipped 

 wings from the Northern United States, Switzerland, and 

 England. These are only a selection from a much larger 

 amount of material of this kind in the Hope Department, 

 but sufficient to show that the character of the injuries in 

 the northern land belt is the same as that of those far 

 south of the Equator, and in a country where lizards and 

 mantides are very important foes. 



Much however may be determined by the character of 

 the injury and the habits of the butterflies. Such an 

 injury as that shown on Plate X, fig. 4, for example, is 

 hardly likely to have been caused by anything but the 

 beak of a bird. When a mantis seizes a butterfly with its 

 raptorial legs the wings are instantly crumpled and at the 

 same time torn and scratched with the thorn-like spines. 

 Only two or three specimens out of the 82 here figured 

 bear any such traces, viz. Plate I, figs. 7, 11, and Plate XI, 

 fig. 5, and in these cases the interpretation is very far 

 from certain. With regard to lizards, butterflies which 

 settle on low flowers, and esjDecially those which alight 



