( Ixiv ) 



sand, Nsadzi I., W. of Kome I., N.W. Victoria Nyanza, 

 March 30, 1914, by Dr. G. D. H. Carpenter. One of the two 

 bugs was devouring a male Lycaenesthes larydas, Cr., also 

 exhibited to the meeting. Dr. Carpenter had written March 

 14, 1915, in reference to the specimens : — 



" What struck me was the beauty of the specialisation. 

 The bugs (resembling the bird-dropping and sand) actually 

 sat on the dropping, presumably for the express purpose of 

 catching Lycaenids which came to feed there. The nicety 

 of the adaptation is what particularly struck me. How 

 long would a bug like that have to wait before it caught a 

 Lycaenid ? True these particular Lycaenids often settle just 

 on the wet sand itself, but the chances of the bug happening 

 to be there seem very remote. It seems to me that the 

 likeness of the bug to the bird-dropping must be an example 

 of Special Procryptic Colouring for offensive purposes, and 

 that they actually tempt the Lycaenids to alight on them. 

 In my experience such adaptations are not common, outside 

 Mantids and Spiders." 



Prof. PouLTON said that Mr. Lamborn had sent him many 

 Lycaenids captured on excrementitious material at Oni, near 

 Lagos, so there was no reason to doubt that a bird-dropping 

 would be an attraction. The example was in some respects 

 similar to the Malayan bird-dropping-like spider, Ornitho- 

 scatoides decipiens described by H. 0. Forbes. In this case 

 however it was a Hesperid butterfly which had been attracted 

 and captured, although the author stated that he had often 

 seen Lycaenidae at rest on bird-droppings ("A Naturalist's 

 Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago," London, 1885, pp. 

 63-65). 



Observations on butterflies and the attacks made 

 on them by birds, about 30 miles w. of the victoria 

 Nyanza and about 1° S. lat. — Prof. Poulton read the 

 following letter from Dr. G. D. H. Carpenter. A few sentences 

 from a later letter of March 14 had been added. When there 

 was any importance in retaining the date it had been added 

 to these insertions, but otherwise omitted. 



" Feb. 1915. 



" Well, I am in exactly the same position as when I last 



