868 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on Birds as a Factor in the 



23. Merops philijipinus, L. (Philippine Bee-Eater), {a) "Mr. 

 F. Lewis, of the Ceylon Forest Service, . . . has seen 

 M. j?/a/*2'PMi?6S occasionally take small white and 

 yellow butterflies (Terias spp.)": R. Trimen, Proc. 

 Ent. Soc. Lond., 1897, p. xci. — (b) " Frequently cap- 

 ture Cato'psiliae, especially when these butterflies are 

 travelling in thousands along the river-valleys" (F. 

 Lewis) : R. Trimen, I. c. (Ceylon). — (c) " They feed 

 even on butterflies, which I have seen this species 

 frequently capture" : Jerdon, "Birds of India," I, p. 208 

 (2nd ed. 1877).— 0^) " Nov. 14, 1891. On the Kandy 

 Road between Trinkomali and Kanthalai ; butterflies 

 in great numbers sitting on the wet mud by the road- 

 side ; chiefly Pierinae {Gatopliaga), but a few P[apilio'\ 

 nomius with them. These butterflies rose in clouds 

 as one drove past. A Bee-Eater, Mcrops 2'>hilippinus, 

 kept flying in front of my carriage and taking speci- 

 mens of these butterflies as they rose. The bird 

 seemed to select the yellow females, which are rare, 

 the white females being to them probably ia the pro- 

 portion of 100 to 1. . . . These Bee-Eaters were 

 often seen catching Pierinae ; in fact, it seems to have 

 occurred so often that I ceased to record the fact " : 

 Col. J. W. Yerbury, Trans. Ent. Soc, Lond, 1902, p. 

 860. — (c) " I noticed clouds of butterflies, chiefly 

 Catopsilia, migrating, crossing the Salween from east 

 to west in a continuous stream. These were being 

 persistently hawked by the Mcrops, mixed with which 

 were some king-crows " : Lt.-Col. C. T. Bingham, 

 Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1902, p. 863 (Burma). 



24. Mcrops viridis, L., M.pMlip2mms,L.,a,ndMelittoplia,gus 



sivinhoei, Hume, (a) Some Bee-Eaters (" which of 

 the three species mentioned in my book was not 

 sufficiently determined ") were seen to capture Papilio 

 eritlionius, P. hector and Precis ip)hita, at Anarad- 

 hapura, Ceylon, in Jan. 1905 : Dr. F. Doflein (letter 

 dated 12, iv, 1907).— (&) At Vavuniya Vilankulam, 

 North Ceylon, in Jan. 1905, all these three Bee- 

 Eaters were observed to capture some of the following 

 butterflies, Papilio crithonius, P. hector, Hyp)olimnas 

 holina, H. misvppns, Eronia spicidifcra, and Heho- 

 nnoia glaucipjic : Dr. Doflein, /. c. 



25. Mcrops apiastcr, L. (European Bee-Eater). Seen to 



capture a Lycaenid, probably Polyommatus {Lampides'^ 



