Froduction of Mimetic BesemUanccs among Bntterfiics. 349 



catch any unfortunate hallus that flies up; but they 

 seem to be unable to take them on the ground, 

 perhaps from the protective colouring of their green 

 under-wings they cannot see them when at rest ; but 

 anyway the swallow is an annoyance to the butterfly 

 collector": Lt.-Col. Irby, "Ornith. of the Straits of 

 Gibraltar," p. 94 (1895, 2ik1 ed.).— (c) " In England I 

 have noticed a swallow hunting one of the common 

 'Whites' (apparently Pieris hrassicae)" : R. Trimen, 

 Proc. Ent. Soc. L., 1897, p. xci. — (d) "I have several 

 times had opportunities of observing that white 

 butterflies were captured on the wing by swallows" : 

 M. Spaeth, "111. Zeits. Ent," 1899, p. 124 (Germany). 

 — (c) "A good many years ago I released a large 

 number of ' Camberwell Beauties ' (Trauermantel). 

 The Swallows collected in a row in front of the win- 

 dow in order to snap up the butterflies. I do not 

 believe that 20 per cent, of the latter reached the 

 adjoining wood, towards which they all directed their 

 course. The same thing happened in the case of 

 some 'Purple Emperors' (Schillerfaltern) a few years 

 later. ' Tortoiseshells ' (Flichse) and ' Peacocks ' 

 (Tagpfau) were entirely unmolested by swallows . . . 

 Melitaea and ArgT/nnis were taken " : W. Caspari, 

 Soc. Ent. Zurich, xvi, p. 34. — (/) Observed to capture 

 Lycaena argiolus on the wing : Prof. E. B. Poulton, 

 "Nature," Ixv, 1902, p. 343.— (.9) "Mr. W. Holland 

 tells me that about the middle of June 1901 he saw 

 a swallow swoop down from a great distance and 

 catch a white butterfly (almost certainly Pieris rafpae) 

 flying in front of the [Oxford] Museum " : Prof. 

 Poulton, I. c. — Qi) " Further, I have often seen birds 

 catch butterflies in Hongkong, Cochin Cliina and 

 Europe, but neither birds nor butterflies were iden- 

 tified. The birds were in many cases swallows " : 

 Dr. F. Doflein (in a letter dated 12, iv, 1907).— 

 (?) " Mortehoe, N. Devon. W. Bonner saw a swallow 

 'spike and carry off' a brown butterfly (he thinks 

 E.janira). Aug. 23, 1894. Reported to me the same 

 day " : Dr. F. A. Dixey {in litt.).—{j) " On the after- 

 noon of July 7, 1901, H. G. Dixey kicked up a 

 specimen of H. janira in the Parks, Oxford. As it 

 rose it was taken by a swallow. This was seen by 

 J. Dixey, H. G. Dixey and R. N. Dixey, and reported 



