(sa [xxxvii 
open. When it does it soon takes cover again. One day I 
was pursuing a d,and succeeded in driving it out from 
amongst the bushes into the open, and was running it down 
and was on the point of capturing it, when a bird swooped 
down and carried off the butterfly right in front of my net. 
I do not know the species of bird, but it was of small or 
moderate size. It is curious how many people deny that birds 
eat butterflies.” 
The Prestpent then read part of a letter recently received 
from Mr, J. C. Kershaw, one of the Fellows of the Society, 
living at Macao. The following observation throws much 
light upon the struggle for life endured by one species of 
butterfly at this locality :—‘ There is a cuckoo here (Cuculus 
micropterus) which certainly accounts for some species of 
butterfly being rare. Having shot several I found the 
stomachs crammed with what were obviously butterfly larve, 
some almost entire, and after a search found the same kind on 
a banyan. They were Rhopalocampta benjamini, a Skipper 
which I had always accounted very rare here, but of which I 
now have a good series. At intervals through the summer I 
shot these cuckoos, and always found them stuffed with 
caterpillars, mostly the larve of this large Skipper, which 
has a bright red and black head, unmistakable amongst 
the stomach contents, besides a few evidently only just 
swallowed.” 
A discussion on the bird enemies of lepidoptera followed, in 
which Mr. F. Merrirrerp, Commander J. J. Watker, Mr. M. 
Burr and other Fellows joined. 
June Ist. 
The Prestpent exhibited specimens of Paltothyreus tarsatus, 
Fabr., an ant belonging to the family Poneridx, recently 
received from Dr. 8. Schinland, Curator of the Albany 
Museum, Grahamstown. Colonel Bingham had kindly named 
the specimens and had pointed out that an allied species bears 
the name Megaponera fotens, Fabr., indicating a similar 
power of emitting an offensive odour. Some of Dr. Schén- 
land’s specimens, which had come to this country in spirit, 
had been dried and mounted on cards. These, after the lapse 
