Oh. XII.] BUTTERFLIES. 183 



not unfrequently, when one thought oneself fortunate in 

 capturing a fine insect, after carefully disentangling it from 

 the net, its wings turned out to be so torn and rubbed as to 

 render it almost useless, except indeed as a decoy. This 

 circumstance is due, I imagine, partly to their frequent 

 battles with one another, in which they whirl round each 

 other with the greatest rapidity, and appear to be incited 

 by the greatest ferocity, and partly to their habit of flying 

 rapidly through the interlacing twigs and foliage of the 

 jungle. 



Certain species could always be found in particular spots ; 

 the orange and pumilow trees in the plantations always 

 abounded with the handsome large red and black Papilio 

 Memnon ; grassy nullahs sheltered abundance of small ocel- 

 lated species; the variable Papilion Pammon floated over 

 every hedge-row, and certain bushes always harboured some 

 swift-flying pale yellow Pieris Namoima; even a patch of 

 sandy sea-shore generally produced a large buff insect 

 (Cynthia arsinoe), which was fond of alighting upon it, so 

 that, although it matched the sand well in colour, it was not 

 difiicult to secure it. But, without going into the jungle, 

 only about half a dozen common, though handsome species, 

 could be met with in a morning's ramble, unless, as when, 

 by a fortunate accident, I captured a magnificent yellow satin 

 Ornithoptera, in a pleasure-garden. . Some species, too, are 

 of crepuscular habits, and only make their appearance near 

 sunset, when, from their large size, they might be almost 

 mistaken for small bats. Such are Amathusia Philippus, and 

 its aUies, remarkable for the angular form of their wings. 



During a month I succeeded in taking upwards of 60 

 species of butterflies in Labuan, a very respectable number 

 for so brief a time, and showing considerable richness of the 



