622 Dr. G, B. Longstaff's Bionomic Notes on Butterflies. 



Papilla polydamas, Linn. (Jamaica, Trinidad, Venezuela, 

 1907). An odour resembling that of musty hay, or straw, 

 was detected in 2 specimens of each sex. My wife 

 compared the scent to rue. 



Papilio cicrivicdcf;, Cram. (Venezuela, 1907). A ^ had a 

 strong musty straw odour. 



Fapilio mneides, Esp., gargnrns, Hiibn. (Trinidad, 1907). 

 A living ^ had a smell of musty straw, which persisted 

 after death. 



HESPERIlDiE. 



As yet I have never been able to satisfy myself that 

 any of the Skippers are scented. Dr. Dixey, however, 

 once found a very distinct smell of chocolate in a speci- 

 men of Gcgencs occulta, Trim.* It seems probable that 

 some special manipulation may be requisite to elicit scents 

 in this group. 



§ 2. TIlc Coloured Juice exuded hy certain Lepidoptera. 



It has long been known that some butterflies, notably 

 Danainfe and AcrtnincV, yield a copious yellow or green 

 juice on pinching, and this has been commonly associated 

 with the known, or suspected, distastefulness of the in- 

 sects themselves.f A devoted student of entomology, 

 M. Felix Plateau, J has tried to get to the root of the 

 matter by eating, or at any rate chewing, Abraxas grossu- 

 lariata and its larva and pupa. Mr. Marshall has also 

 tried many tasting experiments with South African butter- 

 flies. § The results were in both cases inconclusive. Prof. 

 Poulton thinks that this is only what might have been 

 expected, since we have no right to suppose that a given 

 butterfly tastes the same to us as to an insectivorous bird. 

 It might be added that the likes and dislikes of our 

 domesticated mammals differ from our own, I must confess 

 that no enthusiasm has so far availed to bring me to the 

 point of chewing a butterfly. However, in a few cases I 

 have ventured to taste a minute drop of the yellow liquid, 

 with somewhat unsatisfactory results. 



Telchinia viol^, Fabr. (India, 1904). "When injured a 



* Dixey, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1906, p. ii. 



t See JJixey, loc. cit. pp. iii, iv, vi, vii. 



X Mem. de"la Soc. Zool. de France, Tome vii, 1894, p. 375, § 7. _o 



§ Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1902, pp. 405-414. M. 



I 



