714 LT.-COL. N. MAXDERS ON THE 



unpalatable butterflies adopting or having a naturally quick 

 manner of flight which enables them more or less successfully to 

 avoid the tasting experiments of young bii'ds. I mention this in 

 order to show the difficulties that beset us even in the field, and 

 how two observers may form a diametrically opposite opinion on 

 apparently such a simple mattei- as the flight of a butterfly. 

 Dr. Longstafi" is no doubt correct in saying that P. j^olytes has a 

 quicker flight than P. hector. 



This varying velocity of flight makes me somewhat sceptical 

 that swiftness has been evolved in order to escape capture, as an 

 enemy by selecting the opportune moment can efl:ect the seizure 

 of a fast-flying buttei'fly as easily as one of slow and laborious 

 flight. Tliose foes of butterflies, the Bee-eaters, feed during the 

 hot hours of the day, and Drongos in the morning, late afternoon, 

 and often after sunset. 



Many butterflies are conspicuous under one set of conditions 

 and the reverse in another, even at the same time of the da}'. 

 Telchinia violce is said to belong to the most distasteful group 

 of butterflies. Its flight is slow and deliberate, and it is very 

 conspicuous when flying over a grass field ; its bright brick- red 

 colour forms a strong contrast against the green, and it thus has 

 the characteristics of an inedible insect. In the blazing dazzling 

 svinshine on the dried-np plains of India its colour so matches the 

 soil that it is decidedly difficult to see, particularly the female 

 which is almost invisible. Its under surface matches admirably 

 the dried-up leaves of the bush on which it frequently takes up 

 its position for the night, and undei- these circumstances it has all 

 the characteristics of an edible insect. On a day in March this 

 butterfly was flying over the green gardens of Colombo, and three 

 days afterwards I met it at Trichinopolj^, with a sliade temperature 

 of 104°, dazzling sunshine, and scarcely a blade of grass to be seen. 

 It will pi'obably be held by Selectionists that in certain cases 

 such as in extremely dry weather, even an inedible butterfly 

 requires concealment and that conspicuousness is beneficial to it 

 as advertising the worthlessness of its goods in the wet season, 

 when insects are abundant. I have given my i-easous for 

 believing that in tropical islands there is no real scarcity of insect 

 life that cannot be made good by birds. It may also be argued 

 that its invisibility one moment and conspicuousness the next may 

 be of advantage to it, but if this be so, it is diflicult to understand 

 why such an extremely distasteful insect as an Acrma is held to 

 be, should be obliged to pass through such a complicated process 

 of evolution. 



In compiling the following list of birds, I have followed Gates 

 and' Blanford, as their nomenclature is more modern than that of 

 Legge ; where not otherwise indicated, the notes in inverted 

 commas are quotations from Legge. 



Captain Legge spent eight years in Ceylon, and those who were 

 there with him, now few in number, have a clear recollection of 

 his knowledge, zeal, and painstaking industry. 



