VAlidtty of some forms of mimicry. 



725 



Mr. Marshall's paper above quoted, more particularly that part 

 devoted to the Indo-Malayan region. 



For the sake of convenience I shall designate the birds in 

 Group 1, "The Butterfly-Eaters," and the evidence in support 

 of this term is given below under each species. 



1. The Common lora mid Butterjlies. 



This bird belongs to the Bulbul family, another name for it 

 being " The Common Bush Bulbul." 



I have frequently watched this bird and can only confirm 

 Legge's observations. Being so closely allied to the Bulbuls it 

 is probable that, like its near relations, it is an indiscriminate 

 feeder. 



2. King Crows {Drongos) and Butterjlies. 



" On the 14th instant I was with Mr. 0. B. An tram in a very 

 small patch of wood sui-rounded by grass downs within a few 

 miles of Ootacamund. Running through this wood was a foot- 

 path, and this path was in one place a few feet long thickly 

 strewn with the wings of butterflies ; on either side of this, for 

 some yards along the path, were scattered wings. Just above 

 this place three Drongos (Dicrm'tos) were to be seen on the trees. 

 The weather during my visit was misty, cold and rainy, and hardly 

 any butterflies were on the wing ; consequently I had not the 

 opportunity of seeing the birds hawking them. Dragonflies were 

 abundant and the Drongos made frequent excursions after them, 

 all unsuccessful so far as I saw. On examination, the wings were 

 found to belong to the following species : — Danais limniace (or 

 septentrionis , or both), Danais aglea, Danais chrysij^pus, Etiplcea 

 core, Euploea coretcc, Hypolimnas bolina $ , and Catojjsilia crocale. 

 At least 90 per cent, of the wings belonged to D. limniace or 

 septentrionis. There were several wings of Euplcea, amongst 

 which I found those of the males of both core and coreta. The 

 remaining species were each represented by only one or two 

 wings. These Danainas are common in those parts, and in 

 sunny weather would be passing in numbers through and over the 

 wood, and the most common would almost certainly be limniace, 

 septe7itrio7iis, core and coreta. D. chrysippus would be commoner 

 probably on the outskirts of the wood. The only other butterflies 

 about in any numbers when I was there, were Argynnis castetsi 

 and Colias nilgiriensis, both eminently insects frequenting the 

 open country, and they would seldom or never be found in any- 

 thing heavier than scrub jungle. Some of the wings were 

 obviously quite fresh, others had been beaten on the ground by rain. 

 The three Drongos were almost the only birds about, and no 

 other birds that we saw were likely to be capable of capturing 

 these butterflies. It appears to me that the Drongos were 

 certainly the cause of this extensive shower of wings; the only 

 other possibilities are lizards or mantids, but no lizard, I should 



