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Wednesday, May 1st, 1912. 



A VERY SCARCE EGYPTIAN PlERID. Dr. G. B. LONGSTAFF 



exhibited a series of twelve specimens (five males and seven 

 females) of the rare white butterfly, Pinacopteryx doxo, Godart 

 (yenatus, Butler), from the White Nile, Lat. 7° N. to 

 5° N. Dr. Dixey had informed him that he knew of but 

 four specimens in collections, viz. Godart's type, a female, at 

 Edinburgh, taken in " Africa," two females in the British 

 Museum, both from the White Nile district, one of them being 

 Butler's type of venatus, and Dr. Dixey's type of the male in 

 the Hope Collection, also from the White Nile. 



Birds and Insects at the edge of fire. — Dr. G. B. Long- 

 staff stated that large areas of the reeds and papyrus on the 

 White Nile which constitute "the Sudd " are annually burned. 

 Many birds are attracted to these fires, amongst others Mr. 

 A. L. Butler of Khartum had especially noticed various species 

 of swallow. Dr. Longstaff had, on more than one occasion, 

 seen a number of kestrels in the smoke to the leeward of a 

 fire, and had once watched for some time a pair of bee-eaters 

 (Merops nubicus) perch within a few feet of a fire on the wind- 

 ward side. He saw them fight for a large Orthopterous 



[xliii 

 insect which was driven out. This Merops, a beautiful copper — 

 red bird with peacock-blue head and rump, was locally called 

 the " fire-bird." The picture postcards exhibited showed four 

 kites (Milvus aegyptius) hawking in the smoke. 



Commander Walker observed that he had seen the same 



thing occur in Australia, birds waiting for insects at the edge 



of a bush-fire and seizing them as they came out. 



. Dr. F. A. Dixey congratulated Dr. Longstaff on his series 



of P. doxo, and observed that there was no doubt of the 



specific value of this insect, its scent-scales being quite 



distinctive. 



1] 



Mimicry in the Tropics chiefly characteristic of 



Forest Areas. The Birds and Lizards of the Forest and 



the Open.- — Professor Poulton said that he had long been 



struck, especially in the collections of butterflies received from 



