218 Dr. A. Gunther on Reptiles and Fishes 



Ormthoptera flavicollis was very common at one place on 

 the Eiver Tinkyo, where I camped all May 1888. The male 

 seems to be the wooer, but of this I am not quite certain yet. 

 This insect has one peculiarity of flight whicli may be used in 

 courting and is certainly used on other occasions. As I have 

 not seen it noticed in books and have had many opportunities 

 of observing it a description may be useful. 



The male in basking along the foliage on sunny river-sides 

 often flies slowly along, moving only its fore wings, the hind 

 wings drooping at an obtuse angle to the line of flight, trailing 

 like a rich robe of golden silk. In a freshly caught specimen 

 this position can easily be induced. A furrow in the inner 

 margin of the fore wing allows the notch of the hind wing to 

 be elevated easily without interfering with the partial action 

 of the fore wing. In such flight the fore wings only move 

 through a small angle. 



On the inner margin of the hind wing there is a strong 

 fold fringed with hairs, forming a pouch. In normal flight 

 and when at rest this pouch is closed, but when the hind wing 

 is drooped the pouch opens. It may therefore be a scent- 

 pouch and this peculiar flight the normal courting flight. 



As a rule it is only where butterflies are plentiful that the 

 various kinds of flight can be studied, and this seldom ha])pens 

 in North Borneo. When it does it is always in broken 

 weather, rain and sunshine, and on the open banks of large 

 streams. Very dry weather produces few insects and many 

 of them crippled ; very wet weather prevents any butterflies 

 from appearing. 



XXIV. — Third Contribution to our Knoxoledge of Reptiles and 

 Fishes from the Upper Yangtsze-Kiang. By Dr. A. GiJN- 

 THEE, Keeper of the Zoological Department, British 



*■ Museum *. 



Me. a. E. Peatt has continued to collect at Ichang. The 

 last collection sent by him consisted chiefly of Eeptiles, some 

 Batrachians, and a few Fishes. Species not represented in his 

 previous collection were the following : — 



Eeptiles. 

 Eusneces xanthi, sp. n. ; Jajyalura yunnansis, Anderson; 



* For the two previous communications see this Journal, 1888. vol i 

 pp. 165, 429. » • • 



