VALIDITY OF SOME FORMS OF MIMICRY. 729 



Mr. E. Ernest Green writes : — 



" Peradeniya, 16th July, 1910. 



" With regard to the capture of butterflies by birds, 1 was told 

 (in May last) by a lady who was staying with us, that she had 

 been watching the Drongos in these Gardens busily catching 

 butterflies. From her description, tlie victims seemed to be 

 species of Euplaici. She said that the birds bit oft" the wings, and 

 that the road was covered with the dismembered wings. I asked 

 her to collect some of the wings for identification. But, in the 

 meantime, they had either been swept or blown away, and 

 she could only produce one or two wings of Papilio jason and 

 Jmnides hochus." 



The common brown Euplcea can hardly be mistaken for any 

 other Ceylon butterfly. 



3. Shrikes and Butterflies. 



Dr. Willey, F.R.S., writes :—" The late Grant Allen stated 

 positively that among the animals which he had seen in Butchei'- 

 bird's lai-ders were mice, shrews, lizards, robins, tomtits, and 

 sparrows ; but he added that in spite of its occasional carnivorous 

 tastes, the Shrike is at heart an insect-eater." 



The few experiments I have been able to make leave little 

 doubt in my mind that they make little or no selection in their 

 butterfly diet. See below (p. 737). 



4. The Orange Minivet and Butterflies. 



I know nothing about this bird's provender other than already 

 given ; Mr. Ormiston's observation is, however, suggestive. The 

 larva of Papilio polytes lives in its earlier stages exposed on the 

 upper surface of the leaf of the orange or citron, looking exactly 

 like a bird's dropping ; when irritated it shoots forwai-d two fleshy 

 " horns " emitting a pungent smell of orange, which is highly 

 disagreeable. I presume this is derived from the food-plant, and 

 if this be so the larva in all probability has a taste of unripe orange, 

 and consequently it would seem that the bird's palate is not highly 

 educated and its taste in butterflies probably not selective. 



5. The Ashy Wood-S'ioalloio and Butterflies. 



Mr, Walter A. Cave writes : — 



" Colombo, 21st October, 1910. 



" I am sorry I cannot help you much in regard to the question 

 of butterflies being taken by birds. On one occasion I observed 

 ai:i Ashy Wood-Swallow {Artamus fuscits) tearing the wings oft" a 

 butterfly, then swallowing the body. This was in Peradeniya 

 Gardens a year or so ago. There were many of these birds, which 

 are allied to the Shrikes, hawking over the Maha Weliganga river. 

 I did not see this particular bird actually catch the butterfly, but 

 I have every reason to believe it did, because I had a good pair 



