734 LT.-COL. N. MANDERS ON THE 



occasions noticed the birds hawk and catch butterflies in mid-air, 

 and in two cases the butterflies caught were taken oft" the tree 

 tops, but I could find no trace of them on the ground. 



" The flies on one of these occasions wei'e brown and on the 

 other white, very like the common white cabbage butteifly of 

 England, but I was some distance away and couldn't see them 

 properly [probably Eupkea^ and Catopsilia or Ajypias] . 



" On the third time the butterfly was caught while passing the 

 bungalow one sunny afternoon in February, but appeared to be 

 released the moment later and dropped to the ground. Only its 

 abdomen was taken and this was nipped oflf neatly at the waist. 

 These wings I collected and herewith enclose [Papilio sarpedon : 

 the butterfly was otherwise in remarkably good condition ; it is 

 a very rapid flier.] 



" I have often seen a sparrow dive and catch a feather floating 

 in the air in a similar way to that in which a swallow does. 

 Whether the feather is mistaken for a butterfly or vice versa I 

 don't know. 



"In the case of Ceylon native birds, I have been unable to 

 detect any catches of butterflies, but have noticed that two of the 



species will take and devour moths This bird [the 



White-bellied Drongo] I have often seen catching flies from the 

 branch of a tree or telegraph-wire with downw^ard swoop on to 

 the victim. I have often seen it catch small moths up to about 

 one inch in length, which it seemed to devour, wings and all, after 

 returning to its pei'ch." 



It would be as well to refer to the distribution of the " Butter- 

 fly-eaters." The Drongos have already been alluded to ; only 

 one is of general distribution. The Common lora is widely 

 distributed. The Shrikes with two exceptions aie found in the 

 wooded country of the upper and lower hill districts, the other 

 two I have seen only in the low country. 



The Ashy Swallow-Shrike is a partial migrant in the island ; it 

 appears in small flocks in Colombo dviring the north-east monsoon, 

 at other times it is more an inhabitant of the north. The Roller 

 is found only in the dry districts, so also are the Bee-eaters, 

 particularly the Green Bee-eater, which is never found in the wet 

 countrv or above 300 feet. Swinhoe's Bee-eater occasionally 

 ascends higher, and the migrant Philippine Bee-eater appeal's for 

 a short time on the wet western coast at the break of the north- 

 east monsoon, but soon retires to the diy northern districts. The 

 White-breasted Kingfisher and the Brown-necked Spine-tail are 

 of general occurrence. 



If this distribution is carefully studied, it Avill be noticed that 

 there is a distinct paucity of butterfly-eating bii'ds in the wet 

 hill districts and that part of the coast subject to heavy rains ; 

 though mimicry occurs quite as commonly, if not more so, as 

 in the drier districts, where butterflies are less commonly met 

 with. 



