624 Dr. G. B. Longstaff's Bionomic Notes on Butterfiies. 



§ 8. The Tenacity of Life of Protected Species. 



That the DanainiB and some other butterflies have 

 unusually tough integuments which enable them to resist 

 injuries such as would rapidly prove fatal to the butterfly 

 of ordinary constitution has been long well known,* So 

 far the undoubted fact rests to a great extent upon general 

 statements, but it has occurred to the writer that it may 

 be capable of approximate numerical expression. 



With tropical collectors it is a familiar experience that 

 at the close of the day on opening the paper envelopes to 

 examine their captures many of the butterflies are found 

 to be still living. It is an equally general experience that 

 this is especially frequent in the case of the Danainm. 



It has for some time past been my practice to enter in 

 my note-book against the data referring to such long-lived 

 individuals " Ten. Vit." {tcnax vitcv). During my visit to 

 Ceylon in the early months of 1908, 1 paid closer attention 

 to the matter than previously, and feel confident that in 

 the large majority of cases where a butterfly survived the 

 first pinching the fact was duly recoi'ded. The converse fact, 

 that the insect was found dead in the envelope, was very 

 rarely noted. Under these circumstances it may be fairly 

 assumed that the numbers given below to measure the 

 tenacity of life are, if anything, somewhat understated. 



Some one will doubtless lodge the plausible objection 

 that many of the butterflies in the table are large insects 

 and consequently that they should often survive a pinch, 

 such as proved almost uniformly fatal to smaller species, is 

 only what might have been expected. This objection is 

 disposed of by the fact that such a large butterfly as 

 Cynthia asela, Moore, was never (13 specimens) found 

 alive in the paper at the end of the day ; the same is 

 true of Cethosia nietneri, Feld. (9 specimens), and of the 

 robustly made and swift-flying Hehomoia australis, Butl. 

 (13 specimens). Again, Catopsilia pomona, Fabr., is a 

 fairly robust butterfly, yet out of 49 specimens 3 only, 

 a ^ and 2 $, were noted as " tenacious of life." 



From my note-books and previously published papers I 

 find that this resistance to death has forced itself upon my 

 attention in the case of the following species : — 



* See e.g. Potdton, "Essays on Evolution," 1908, pi^. 279, 316. 

 Cf. Bingharn, loc. cit. p. 2. Also Marshall, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lend., 

 1902, pp. 322-323. 



