NOTES ON COLLECTING BUTTERFLIES AT HONG KONG. 67 



Clonus alauda, Hbsb. (blattariae, F.). On Scrophularia aquatica, 

 S. nodosa, and Verbascum nigrum. Generally distributed and not un- 

 common from Norfolk and the Midlands southwards, rarer further- 

 north, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham. Scotland scarce, Tweed 

 and Forth areas. 



I have taken it in June and August at Oxted, Battle, Sevenoaks, 

 etc., etc. 



Cionus (Cleopus) pulchellus, Hbst. On Scrophularia nodosa. Local: 

 but widely distributed from Northumberland southwards. Scotland, 

 rare, Solway district. Ireland, Kerry. I have taken it in May and 

 July in Coombe Wood, Guestling Wood, Buddon Wood, etc. 



Notes on Collecting Butterflies at Hong Kong. 



By Commander G. C. WOODWABD, B.N. 



Hong Kong is situated about 70 miles inside the tropics. The 

 island itself is about seven miles long by about four miles wide, and 

 rises to a height of over 1,000 in the centre of the island. 



The island is covered with dense vegetation, but there is 

 nothing much in the way of very large trees, the great majority 

 being small firs. The island is well looked after by the Afforestation 

 Department, which prevents the natives cutting any timber, brush- 

 wood, etc. 



The mainland is mostly bare, owing to the habit of the natives of 

 cutting down everything in the way of firewood as fast as it grows. 



The seasons roughly divide themselves into a wet and a dry, 

 the wet season lasting from April to October : during this period the 

 weather is very hot and moist, with much rain, and the 'island is 

 frequently visited by those very violent storms called typhoons, which 

 sometimes do a large amount of damage. The curious feature about 

 these typhoons is that they do not seem very destructive to insect life, 

 as a very few days after the visit of 'one of these storms, butterflies 

 appear again in the greatest profusion, and in an undamaged state. 



The dry and cold season lasts from November to March, when the 

 temperature is of temperate description, the thermometer falling 

 rapidly sometimes down among the forties. These cold snaps some- 

 times last several days. 



Generally speaking the wet season is the best for collecting Lepi- 

 doptera, April and May and again in September and October being the 

 best months ; but a spell of warm weather in the dry season seems to 

 produce its quota of insects, of which a few seem to have different 

 forms in the wet and dry season. 



Among the most brilliant of the butterflies found in Hong Kong 

 are those of the family Papilionidae. These splendid insects are well 

 represented on the island. Among the common and most brilliant is 

 Papilio parts ; this insect I found to be abundant in the Happy Valley, 

 where it flits about between the trees with a fairly rapid flight, occa- 

 sionally stopping to feed at the flowers of Lantdna camara, a very 

 common shrub on the island, and of which most butterflies seem un- 

 commonly fond. The commonest Papilio on the island is, I think, 

 P. helenus. This insect appears everywhere, and seems to be the only 

 Papilio found here during the dry season, when it sometimes appears, 

 but is somewhat scarce at that time of the year. The largest species 



