8 Mr. J. C. W. Kershaw on Butterfly-destroyers. 



their attacks. Of about a score pupae of Delias aglaia, L., 

 found on a shrub, three produced butterflies, the rest 

 ichneumons. Of the same number of young larva) reared, 

 all fed well till about half-grown, then all but six dwindled 

 away to mummies, two died when full-grown ; the rest 

 pupated, but only two butterflies appeared, the other 

 pupse shrivelling up. They were supplied with fresh food 

 every day, and till half-grown appeared very healthy. 

 There seem to be special checks on the increase of some 

 species of Pieridte. 



No doubt the injuries done to the wings of butterflies 

 are often the result of attacks by various enemies, but I 

 think the greater part are caused by the insects themselves 

 flying through thick cover, where one may often distinctly 

 hear and see the wings of a Papilio strike leaves and 

 twigs ; or by getting into and escaping from the numerous 

 spiders' webs, and threads stretched from tree to tree ; or 

 by simple stress of weather. Several times I have seen 

 what I took, at first sight, to be a new species of Papilio 

 which when taken proved to be either P. polytes or P. 

 dissimilis with the hind-wings covered with the red or 

 yellow pollen of flowers, generally the large flowering tree 

 Bombax ceiba. These specimens invariably had the wings 

 torn, and as the pollen is sticky it probably was partly the 

 cause of various rents and ragged margins. 



One often sees a Papilio, generally either P. agamemnon, 

 L., or P. sarpedon, which haunts a certain locality or " beat " 

 for days together, flying at a good height and seldom 

 settling ; these " solitaries " chase away other butterflies and 

 even dragon-flies, and I have seen Euplceinx and Neptis 

 chase dragon-flies, which swarm here. Of all insect foes I 

 should have thought that dragon-liies, from their very 

 swift flight and powerful jaws, would have been most 

 dangerous to butterflies, but I have never seen one attack 

 a butterfly, though they sometimes kill and eat each other. 



My few notes would, in short, point to butterflies which 

 have escaped the sundry and manifold dangers of the egg, 

 larva and pupa stages having collectively, comparatively 

 little to fear in the perfect state. 



