MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 867 



interest attaching to these insects is therefore manifest. Martini is, I 

 believe, a high range insect ; it certainly does not occur at Coonoor where 

 A. castetsi is common, and which I have bred freely. I should be extreme- 

 ly grateful to entomologists residing, or who have collected, in these 

 localities for any information they can send me. I should wish for a large 

 number of specimens from various localities to ascertain whether the two. 

 forms show any intermediate features. It is a species quite easy to breed ; 

 and for this purpose a fresh, not a worn, female should be captured and 

 placed under muslin over a pot of wild or garden pansies (they will not 

 feed on the common violet) with a slice of orange soaked in sugar and 

 water, or for that matter any available fruit will do. 



The usual habit of butterflies is to lay a few eggs, go off and feed and 

 then lay again and much disappointment may be avoided by enabling the 

 captive to feed freely. The whole of the brood should be kept. I hope 

 to publish the results at a future date. 



N. MANDERS, Lieut. -Colonel, f. z. s. 

 Colombo, Ceylon, 1st November 1910. 

 \_Argynnis hyperbius, var. castetsi, was described by Oberthiir in 1889. — Eds.] 



No. XXIV.— NOTES ON COLOTIS IN SIND. 



No less than six forms of the genus Colotis are found in Sind : Colotis- 

 amata, Colotis protraetus, Colotis vestalis, Colotis fausta, Colotis etrida and 

 Colotis dance. Of these the first three are invariably found in close asso- 

 ciation and not uncommonly all six may be taken in one small area. All 

 down the lower basin of the Indus, in the extensive acaciee forests which 

 line its banks, the first three of the above list, literally swarm in hundreds- 

 and this for practically the whole year round. Colotis etrida may be found 

 anywhere and at any time of the year ; Colotis dance &,ndi fausta only appear 

 in August and September, the latter appearing to be comparatively uncom- 

 mon. In July of this year, I took C. amata and C. vestalis in cop, a female 

 of the former being connected with a male of the latter. A week later I 

 again saw these two in connection, the same sexes respectively being 

 engaged and on the same day I netted and bottled a male protraetus in cop 

 with a female amata. All three pairs were killed without causing separa- 

 tion so that I was able to satisfy myself as to the forms and sexes, 

 engaged. Since then I have time and again seen these three forms breed- 

 ing thus promiscuously. Unfortunately I have not so far been able to 

 obtain eggs from a female thus impregnated so am unable to say what the 

 resulting hybrids would appear like. I find that eggs laid by the typical 

 forms breed true, this being the conclusion I arrived at after breeding 

 from the egg some hundreds of all three forms. No difficulty was met witk 



