640 Dr. G. B. Longstaff's Bionomic Notes on Butterjiieg. 



In marked contrast with the last is P. aristolochi^, 

 Fabr., which sails about slowly and quietly with little 

 obvious flapping of the wings ; it moves about in a stately 

 way as if confident in its immunity from attack and is the 

 most easily caught of all the group. 



F. polytcs, Linn., two of whose polymorphic $ mimic 

 hector and aristolocliim respectively, behaves very differ- 

 ently from them and seems to trust much to swiftness of 

 flight; my observations chiefly relate to the ^, and I have 

 an impression that the flight of the $ is slower, but this 

 requires confirmation. Though well known to Indian 

 entomologists I am not aware that the contrast in flight 

 between polytes and aristolochim has yet been placed on 

 record. 



It is a notable habit with many Papilios that when 

 settled on flowers feeding they keep their wings in almost 

 constant movement.* This has been noted in all the 

 following species : — 0. darsius ; this when feeding occa- 

 sionally stops fluttering, dropping the fore-wings back 

 (towards the abdomen) ; P. parinda, P. hector, P. aristolo' 

 chiee, P. polytes, P. agamcmnon (the habit is very marked 

 in this species), P. demoleus, P. demodocus, P. dissimilis 

 and P. mooreanus, Rothsch. (a race of helenus, Linn.). 



I was much struck by specimens of the last-named in 

 the forest at Hatton, Ceylon (5 March, 1908), settled on 

 very dark grey rocks drinking, with their wings about f 

 expanded, but with the fore-wings drawn back so as almost 

 entirely to conceal the conspicuous cream-coloured spot 

 on the hind-wings. For the moment I thought that there 

 was before me some other species, entirely black on the 

 upper side. 



P. teredon, Feld. (sarpedon, Linn.), and P. jason, Esp» 

 (telephus, Feld.), do not flutter when drinkmg. 



§ 8. The selection as resting-places of Yellow Leaves hy 

 Yellow Butterjlics. 



As there still appear to be entomologists of wide expe- 

 rience who doubt whether butterflies, impelled by instinct, 

 ever select resting-places of like colour with themselves, 



* Longstaff, " Some Rest Attitudes of Butterflies," Trans. Ent. 

 Soc. Lond., 1906, p. 111. 



