280 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



deteriorated since Wallace's day, jungle giving place to rubber 

 everywhere ; it is interesting to note that Ayer Panas, a place 

 not far from Malacca, where Wallace spent some time collecting, 

 is now the home of a nourishing rubber company which bears 

 that name. It was at Ayer Panas that Wallace caught the 

 first specimen of the handsome Nymphalid, Prothoe calydonia, 

 described by Hewitson. He tells us that it was twelve years 

 before the second specimen (from Borneo) was taken. In 

 Sarawak it is regarded as a great rarity, some half a dozen 

 specimens only having been taken in the last twenty years ; it 

 is evidently an "unclean" feeder, as Wallace records its capture 

 " on the dung of some carnivorous animal," and the late Mr. 

 Shelford noted that Sarawak specimens were taken in traps 

 baited with rotten fruit.* 



During my stay in Malacca I wandered out to Saint John's 

 Hill, which lies a short distance to the east of the town ; a little 

 jungle path leads up to the top, crowned by an old ruined fort, 

 probably built by the Portuguese some four hundred years ago. 

 Not having a net with me, I made use of the next best thing 

 with me, viz. a notebook and pencil, and amused myself for an 

 hour noting the insect life of this sun-lit spot. 



I reached the hill about 9.30 on a Sunday morning, and 

 slowly followed the path gently sloping upwards. Almost the 

 first butterfly to be seen was the conspicuous Danaid D. 

 melanippus hegesippns, with fore wings reddish and black-veined, 

 hind wings white with black veins. The little Lycasnids Nacaduba 

 sp. (probably ardates, Moore), and Everes argiades, Pallas, 

 appeared common on the sunny path ; I noticed two of the 

 former united in cop. A conspicuous black and white barred 

 Neptis (N. leucothce) fluttered boldly ahead of me and alighted 

 on a bush by the side of the path, facing outwards ; I notice 

 they invariably do this — i.e. fly up to a bush and turn face 

 about before settling, so that they cannot be surprised in the 

 rear. I slowly approached one which stayed on the leaf, 

 actually allowing me to touch its outstretched antennae before 

 lazily taking flight again, apparently in no way flustered by my 

 attentions. These Neptis occasionally rest with wings erect over 

 their head, but more often with wings outspread in the sun. 

 They never seem to exhibit signs of injuries suggesting bird 

 or lizard bites, and their slow, fearless flight seems to imply 

 unpalatable qualities. 



The common Eastern Pierine Terias hecabe put in an 

 appearance ; then the large Catopsilia pyranthe, hurrying along 

 as if late for an appointment. Papilio agamemnon whirled over 

 head at a tremendous rate, hovered at a flower for a moment, 



* ' A List of the Butterflies of Borneo, with Descriptions of New Species,' 

 by R. Shelford, Journ. Str. Br. Boy. Asiat. Soc, No. 45, 1906, p. 131. 



