﻿484 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  B. 
  J. 
  Skertchly 
  on 
  Butterflies' 
  Enemies. 
  

  

  some 
  peculiar 
  mutilations 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  of 
  butterflies, 
  which 
  

   have 
  led 
  us 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  perhaps 
  lizards 
  and 
  small 
  insectivo- 
  

   rous 
  mammals 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  foes, 
  and 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  more 
  successful 
  than 
  ants. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  unusual 
  to 
  

   capture 
  butterflies 
  which 
  have 
  both 
  hind 
  wings 
  mutilated 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  manner, 
  as 
  if 
  a 
  piece 
  had 
  been 
  bitten 
  out. 
  We 
  first 
  

   noticed 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  crepuscular 
  species 
  Melanitis 
  leda 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  

   find 
  that 
  Distant 
  figures 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  Panchala 
  apidanus 
  said 
  

   by 
  its 
  captor 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  bitten 
  by 
  a 
  bird, 
  but 
  no 
  details 
  are 
  

   given 
  *. 
  Since 
  then 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  this 
  not 
  uncommon, 
  and 
  

   a 
  list 
  is 
  appended 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  noticed. 
  

   Of 
  course 
  these 
  specimens 
  represent 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  

   escape, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  numerous 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  

   phenomenon 
  is 
  not 
  accidental. 
  

  

  Melanitis 
  leda 
  and 
  Amathusia 
  phidippus 
  are 
  crepuscular 
  

   and 
  lie 
  hid 
  nearly 
  all 
  day 
  and 
  all 
  night 
  ; 
  hence 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  

   bitten 
  by 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  daytime, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  it 
  likely. 
  

   The 
  Satyrinae, 
  like 
  Mycalesis 
  and 
  Ypthima, 
  fly 
  low, 
  never 
  

   rising 
  more 
  than 
  4 
  feet 
  above 
  ground, 
  and 
  they 
  hide 
  by 
  night 
  

   in 
  the 
  grass 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  day 
  in 
  dull 
  and 
  rainy 
  weather. 
  Papilio 
  

   sarpedon 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  swift 
  flier, 
  with 
  a 
  habit 
  of 
  settling 
  in 
  com- 
  

   pact 
  flocks 
  on 
  damp 
  sand, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  highly 
  unlikely 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  

   ever 
  molested 
  by 
  clay. 
  Hestia 
  seldom 
  settles 
  by 
  day, 
  is 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  earliest 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  and 
  the 
  latest 
  to 
  retire. 
  It 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  does 
  not 
  fear 
  birds, 
  for 
  it 
  never 
  flies 
  quickly 
  nor 
  attempts 
  

   concealment. 
  Here, 
  then, 
  we 
  find 
  examples 
  of 
  butterflies 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  diverse 
  habits 
  all 
  subject 
  to 
  similar 
  mutilation. 
  

  

  The 
  conclusion 
  seems 
  inevitable 
  : 
  butterflies 
  are 
  bitten 
  

   chiefly 
  by 
  night, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  most 
  defenceless. 
  Both 
  hind 
  

   wings 
  are 
  bitten 
  symmetrically, 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  

   folded 
  as 
  in 
  repose 
  the 
  mutilations 
  correspond. 
  Protective 
  

   resemblance 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  mode 
  of 
  ensuring 
  safety 
  

   during 
  sleep. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  creatures 
  that 
  appear 
  likely 
  to 
  hunt 
  sleeping 
  

   butterflies 
  are 
  lizards 
  and 
  perhaps 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  insecti- 
  

   vorous 
  mammals. 
  Lizards 
  are 
  enthusiastic 
  moth-hunters, 
  

   and 
  my 
  son 
  has 
  seen 
  a 
  little 
  house-lizard 
  capture 
  one. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  no 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  Erycinidse 
  or 
  

   Lycsenidse 
  are 
  recorded. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  seen 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  

   mutilated 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  be 
  sure 
  of. 
  So 
  many 
  are 
  delicately 
  

   tailed 
  and 
  get 
  so 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  net 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   make 
  certain 
  on 
  this 
  point. 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  are 
  mutilated. 
  I 
  

   know 
  as 
  yet 
  no 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  mutilated 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Hesperiidse. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  species 
  protected 
  by 
  nauseous 
  secre- 
  

   tions 
  do 
  not 
  escape, 
  llestia 
  and 
  Ewplcea 
  are 
  cases 
  in 
  point. 
  

   A 
  mutilated 
  Danais 
  1 
  have 
  not 
  seen. 
  

  

  " 
  Rhop. 
  Malayana, 
  p. 
  - 
  

  

  