( viii ) 



entirely neglected. It was contended that the negative evidence 

 on this subject, which appeared to have been very generally 

 accepted, was really of very little scientific value, because in 

 no case had it been shown that the observer had any adequate 

 knowledge of the actual food-habits of birds, or that any 

 careful and exhaustive inquiry had been made into the subject. 

 Instances were also cited to show how very easily destruction 

 of this kind might be overlooked ; while negative evidence 

 derived from an examination of the contents of birds might 

 be very misleading, owing to the fact that in so many instances 

 the butterflies' wings are not swallowed, so that any recognition 

 of the remains becomes extremely difficult. Finally, it was 

 urged that the large body of evidence resulting from merely 

 casual observations indicated that the assumption that birds do 

 not eat butterflies to any extent is certainly premature, and 

 that a fuller inquiry will probably show it to be entirely 

 unfounded. 



A discussion followed in which Mr. A. W. Bacot, Mr. H. 

 Eowland-Brown, Mr. H. Main, Mr. A. E. Tonge, Mr. H. M. 

 Edelsten, Mr, J. W. TuTT and other Fellows, gave their 

 experiences on the subject, Mr. W. Sharp suggesting that 

 the actions of the sparrow, as a domesticated bird, was not 

 evidence for conditions which exist in the case of purely 

 natural species. Dr. T. A. Chapman suggested that the paucity 

 of observations on the point was largely due to the shyness of 

 birds eating in the presence of human beings. Mr. W. J. 

 Kaye said that he had never observed birds attacking butter- 

 flies in tropical South America, and Commander J. J. Walker 

 gave similar testimony with regard to the many Australasian 

 and other oversea localities visited by him. 



Wednesday, March 17th, 1909, 

 Dr, F. A, DiXBY, M.A., M.D., President, in the Chair, 



Election of Fellows, 

 Capt. E. Bagnell-Purepoy, The Cottage, East Farleigh, 

 Maidstone; Mr. Stanley A. Blenkarn, 44 Komola Road, 



