MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 287 



Its range in altitude and area is therefore a good deal more extended 

 than Mr. Philipe supposes. 



Dophia patala. — Mr. de Rhe Philipe's puzzle as to distribution can be 

 readily solved by noting the distribution of its food-plant or plants. In 

 Kumaun, to the best of my belief, it confines itself to Quercus incana and 

 Q. dilatata. Mr. Osmaston informs me that neither of these oaks is to be 

 found East of Nepal. 



The oaks of Sikkim are: — Q. pachi/phylla, Q. lumeUom, Q. lineata, Q. 

 genestrata and Q. spicata, and apparently none of these suits its fastidious 

 taste. It would be interesting to know whether the food-plant of 

 Dophia taoonana is an oak in Burma more nearly allied to Q. incana than to 

 any of the Sikkim species, that Dophia taoonana and D. patala are sj^nony- 

 mous Mr. Philipe's note seems to leave no doubt. 



F. HANNYNGTON. 



Calcutta, 21st May 1911. 



No. L.— APPEAL FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING 

 PAPILIO POLYTES. 



This butterfly is mentioned by Bingham (Faun. Brit. Ind. Butterflies, 

 Vol. II, p. 61) as being dimorphic through most of its range, and trimor- 

 phic in the south of India and Ceylon. A search through entomological 

 literature has failed to produce more than one or two precise references 

 to the number of forms of female found in any district, though the butter- 

 fly is usually common, and must often come under the notice of Indian 

 entomologists. Further in relation to the fact that the poli/tes and romulus 

 females of the species "mimic" Papilio arisiolochice and Papilio hector 

 respectively, it would be of great interest to learn to what extent the 

 mimics and models occur together. I should be exceedingly grateful for 

 any information, however slight, on these points, and in addition I may 

 perhaps be allowed to mention, that ova or larvse of P. polytes would be 

 very welcome, especially from a locality where only two forms of female 

 occur. I have recently undertaken some breeding experiments in relation 

 to the inheritance of the various forms and material from a fresh locality 

 is exceedingly valuable. 



J. C. F. FRYER. 

 The Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Peradbniyb, Ceylon, July 1911. 



No. LI.— A NOTE ON POLYOMMATUS BCETICVS. 



De NiceviUe in his "Butterflies of India, Burmah and Ceylon," Vol. III., 

 quotes no less than three distinct descriptions of the larva of Polyommatus 



