MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 179 



obtained in flower in 1897, but I have not seen them in flower since. I know, 

 however, that they did not die after flowering. Although it is an undoubted 

 fact that many Bamboos die immediately after flowering, it will be seen from 

 the foregoing remarks that many others do not. The popular notion that all 

 bamboos die subsequently to flowering has probably arisen from observations 

 made in India, where large forests of bamboos exist. Each bamboo forest 

 is composed principally (probably) of one species, and if that particular 

 species dies after flowering it does not require much stretching of the 

 imagination to come to the conclusion, when a whole forest disappears, that 



all bamboos die after flowering. 



W. J. TUTCHER. 

 Botanic Gardens, Hong Kong. 



( The above appeared in " The Garden " on 9th Murch 1901.) 



No. XXVII.— MIGRATION OF BUTTERFLIES, 



It is now nearly thirty years since I first began to take an interest in Lep- 

 idoptera, and although I have, of course, read of the migration of large bodies 

 of butterflies, I never witnessed any flight that could be considered migration 

 until the last few days. When riding back from shooting three days ago, I 

 noticed a large number of Catopsilia ;pyranthe, all flying against the wind 

 in a north-westernly direction. I first saw them about 7 miles from Deesa, 

 and the swarm continued until I reached cantonments ; in every direction 

 there appeared to be about an average of one C. pyranthe to every 10 or 12 

 square yards of ground. There was plenty of other butterflies about, chiefly 

 various specis of Teracolus ; these, however, were flitting about the bushes 

 as usual, but there was scarcely a single C pyranthe that had not urgent busi- 

 ness towards the N.-W. The flight or migration continued all that day 

 and the next, and to-day there have also been a considerable number of the 

 same species flying in the same direction, but not nearly so many as on the 

 two previous days, so I conclude the flight is now over. An observant friend 

 tells me that the same migration of this species has taken place about 

 this time every year for the last three years at least, but I have never been here 

 at the end of August before, so I have not seen it. C. pyranthe is common 

 enough in this neighbourhood, the larva feeding on a small shrub with 

 yellow flowers, of which I do not know the name ; but I have never seen a 

 tenth of the numbers I saw during the last 3 days. 



0. G. NURSE, Major, 



Deesa, 21th August 1901. \dth Bombay Infantry. 



No, XXVIII.— NIDIFICATION OP THE DESERT SAND LARK. 



{ALCEMON DESERTORUM.) 

 I have at last obtained the eggs of the Desert Sand Lark, for which I 

 have long been on the look out. A few days ago my shikari (who is also 

 my understudy as an oologist) came to me »nd said he had seen out in thg 



