( Iviii ) 



dardanus at Chiriiida. Attempts in 1911 and 1912 failed, 

 owing, inter alia, to a failure to get the butterflies to feed in 

 captivity. In 1913, however, I was successful in obtaining 

 eggs not only from a number of hippocoon females but from 

 two cenea females, one trophonius, and a female which Prof. 

 Poulton considers to be nearest to the leigJii form, but with 

 some considerable approach towards the pattern of hippocoon- 

 trophonius* 



At Chirinda the wild females of Papilio dardanus lay on 

 various Rutaceae — orange and lemon both wild and cultivated, 

 lime, Clausena inaequalis, Toddalia acuminata and Teclea 

 stvynnertonii. In captivity they seemed to lay best on the 

 last-named plant, and, as it was also very common in the forest, 

 I started all the young larvae on it. Completely spider-tight 

 boxes were, however, a difficulty, and at that time of the year 

 (the change from the wet to the dry season) small spiders 

 swarm. They killed numbers of the newly hatched larvae, 

 and the time occupied in examining the boxes daily for these 

 very inconspicuous little spiders was so great that I finally 

 decided to " sleeve " the families. Lemon-trees were growing 

 beside the house and the larvae took kindly to the change 

 of food : but a new difficulty arose. My ground-hornbills 

 (Bucorax caffer) were discovered going the round of the con- 

 spicuous white muslin sleeves and jumping or flying up to 

 them and seizing them with their bills. They had already 

 done much damage to the inmates when discovered, and, 

 though the sleeves were put higher, a watch kept, and the 

 birds continually driven off, they did (as any one who knows 

 a ground-hornbill's persistence will readily understand) get 

 in on subsequent occasions. At any rate, the losses inflicted 

 by them were, I believe, considerable, and they were responsible 

 not only for these but, in the main, for an unusually large 

 proportion of crippled specimens. Each family is, therefore, 

 by no means complete. 



On one occasion a few labels were found to have been 

 removed. As the pins by which they were attached had 

 also gone it is more likely to have been the work of a native 



* The notes on the pattern at the end of tlie present paper were 

 written by Prof. Poulton (see p. Ixiii). 



