156 maE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



concealing himself, and awaited the return of the insect ; nor was 

 he disappointed, in a short time it was in his net. Mr. Denton 

 says that he has, in this way, taken as many as thirty-seven 

 turnus in a day. Once he attracted P. rutulus by a yellow leaf 

 placed in a conspicuous position, and he has found bright yellow 

 paper, cut out to resemble this species in size, almost as 

 attractive as the insect itself. He finds the best place to expose 

 a decoy is in some sunny nook, where an occasional specimen of 

 the species of which he is in search is seen, allowing the full 

 rays of the sun (provided the decoy is a real butterfly) to strike 

 on the expanded wings. It is usually his custom to cut down 

 the green bushes, except perhaps one in the centre of the 

 opening, and stripping the leaves from the tallest twig or branch, 

 to place the decoy on the point. If he cannot get a decoy to start 

 with he shoots one, for he says that any dilapidated specimen 

 will answer the purpose. Mr. Denton adds that decoying is 

 practised in Australia and New Guinea. 



Mr. South (Entom. xxiv. 173), referring to this subject, says, 

 ** I understand that some collectors of tropical butterflies find it 

 a good plan to use a decoy to facilitate the capture of the shy 

 species of Nymphalidcs. When a specimen of a desired species 

 is secured, it is killed and placed with its wings expanded either 

 on the ground, or on a twig, within easy striking distance of the 

 operator, who takes up a convenient position where he must be, 

 as far as possible, concealed, and then await the arrival of 

 specimens. Perhaps the would-be captor of Apatura iris may 

 think it worth while to try a decoy in some haunt of H. I. M. 

 Probably a dry set specimen would answer the purpose." 



And lastly (Entom. xxiv. 244), Mr. T. E. Sansom, writing 

 from Yokohama, says, " .... In various parts of the East 

 I have found a dead Ornithoptera, or Papilio, an almost certain 

 decoy, provided of course others of the species are about. In 

 Java and Selangor (Malay Peninsula) when I caught a specimen 

 too bad to keep, I always placed it in a convenient position for 

 catching others it might attract. Of course a good specimen 

 could not be so treated, as in two minutes it would be carried off 

 by ants. Here in Japan, where ants are not so dangerous, I 

 leave good specimens also, for a few minutes, in conspicuous 

 positions as decoys. "With Papilio maackii it is certain to attract 

 others. After half an hour or so the attractiveness seems to 

 cease, so I doubt if a cabinet specimen of A. iris would be of 

 much use as a decoy." 



So that, putting aside the question whether butterflies do or 

 do not assemble by scent, it seems at any rate clearly established 

 that they, or some of them, are endowed with a propensity to 

 critically examine everything bearing the remotest resemblance 

 to themselves, or to flowers or objects of a colour similar to their 

 own : whether the allurement be attributable to a desire to assist 



