﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOTMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  265 
  

  

  afternoon 
  I 
  saw 
  this 
  insect 
  at 
  the 
  farther 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  plantation 
  at 
  

   least 
  a 
  mile 
  away 
  but 
  it 
  came 
  back 
  to 
  its 
  usual 
  tree 
  for 
  the 
  night 
  

  

  " 
  P. 
  aristolochicB, 
  Mr. 
  Grosvenor 
  noted, 
  was 
  " 
  not 
  nearly 
  

  

  80 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Bangalore 
  district 
  as 
  P. 
  hector, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  

   Central 
  Provinces 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  there 
  replaces 
  P. 
  hector." 
  

   P. 
  polytes 
  : 
  " 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  general 
  and 
  abundant 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  Papilios. 
  The 
  male 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  everywhere, 
  but 
  the 
  

   interesting 
  polymorphic 
  female 
  is 
  very 
  difl&cult 
  to 
  find, 
  as 
  it 
  seldom 
  

   if 
  ever 
  flies 
  in 
  the 
  open, 
  and 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  searched 
  for 
  in 
  dense 
  bushes, 
  

   and 
  when 
  found 
  is 
  generally 
  torn 
  to 
  rags." 
  All 
  three 
  forms 
  of 
  

  

  female 
  were 
  taken, 
  and 
  " 
  The 
  prevailing 
  form 
  is 
  that 
  resembling 
  

  

  aristolochiae." 
  Concerning 
  the 
  likeness 
  to 
  the 
  models 
  the 
  author 
  

   remarks. 
  "It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  see 
  what 
  advantage 
  is 
  gained 
  by 
  

   mimicry, 
  as 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  polytes, 
  hector 
  and 
  aristolochice 
  are 
  entirely 
  

   different, 
  and 
  one 
  never 
  has 
  the 
  slightest 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  which 
  species 
  

   one 
  sees, 
  although 
  so 
  closely 
  resembling 
  one 
  another 
  in 
  colour 
  and 
  

   markings. 
  It 
  certainly 
  does 
  not 
  protect 
  polytes, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  on 
  several 
  

   occasions 
  seen 
  the 
  King 
  Crow 
  {Dicrurus 
  ater) 
  not 
  only 
  attack, 
  but 
  

   eat 
  it." 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  in 
  writing 
  his 
  last 
  quoted 
  sentence 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  forgotten 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  all 
  species, 
  protected 
  or 
  unprotected, 
  have 
  their 
  enemies, 
  

   and 
  that 
  complete 
  immunity 
  only 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  Erich 
  Haase 
  

   and 
  never 
  in 
  nature. 
  Nevertheless 
  1 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  author 
  in 
  

   believing 
  that 
  the 
  ordinarily 
  accepted 
  interpretation 
  of 
  mimicry 
  in 
  

   P. 
  polytes 
  is 
  erroneous, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  reprint 
  here 
  a 
  State- 
  

   ment 
  I 
  wrote 
  several 
  years 
  ago 
  for 
  a 
  journal 
  now 
  out 
  of 
  print 
  ('* 
  Bedroch," 
  

   Vol. 
  II, 
  No. 
  3, 
  Oct., 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  310-312) 
  :— 
  

  

  " 
  How 
  can 
  we 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  two 
  mimetic 
  forms 
  in 
  a 
  

   butterfly 
  which 
  remains 
  dominant 
  when 
  its 
  models 
  are 
  absent 
  or 
  

   excessively 
  rare 
  ? 
  It 
  is 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  consider 
  this 
  question 
  in 
  some 
  

   little 
  detail, 
  for 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  true 
  explanation 
  is 
  dift'erent 
  from 
  

   that 
  usually 
  given. 
  

  

  " 
  Papilio 
  polytes 
  is 
  an 
  unusually 
  dominant 
  and 
  successful 
  swallow 
  tail. 
  

   Its 
  rate 
  of 
  reproduction, 
  combined 
  with 
  a 
  probable 
  measure 
  of 
  distaste- 
  

   fulness 
  advertised 
  by 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  pattern, 
  its 
  powers 
  of 
  flight, 
  alert- 
  

   ness, 
  and 
  other 
  adaptations 
  of 
  many 
  kinds, 
  keep 
  up 
  the 
  large 
  average 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  enemies 
  of 
  all 
  sorts 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  stages 
  

   of 
  its 
  life-history. 
  The 
  large 
  numbers 
  that 
  survive 
  in 
  every 
  generation 
  

   will 
  of 
  course, 
  include 
  the 
  fittest, 
  and 
  so 
  the 
  high 
  level 
  of 
  protection 
  

   efficiency 
  is 
  maintained. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  polytes 
  in 
  the 
  Hong 
  

   Kong 
  and 
  Macao 
  districts 
  where 
  the 
  single 
  model 
  (aristolochice) 
  is 
  so 
  

   rare 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  unreasonable 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  it 
  exerts 
  any 
  efiect, 
  and 
  

  

  