IX] THE ENEMIES OF BUTTERFLIES 111 



Junonia and Precis (Vanessids). And he goes on to 

 say: "I also particularly noticed that the birds never 

 went for a Danais or Euploea, or for Papilio macareus 

 and P. xenocles, which are mimics of Danais, though 

 two or three species of Danais, four or five of Euploea, 

 and the two above-mentioned mimicking Papilios 

 simply swarmed along the whole road^." 



Marshall also quotes a case of attack by a green 

 bee-eater on a Danais in which the butterfly was caught 

 and subsequently rejected, after which it flew away. 

 Little stress, however, can be laid upon this case in 

 view of the more recent data brought together by 

 Col. Manders and Mr Fryer. Discussing the attacks 

 of birds on butterflies in Southern India and Ceylon, 

 Col. Manders gives the following quotation^ from a 

 letter of Mr T. N. Hearsy, Indian Forest Service : 



" Coimbatore, 6. 6. 10. . . . I have frequently seen 

 the common green bee-eater {Merops viridis) and the 

 king-crow {Buchanga atra) take butterflies on the wing, 

 the butterflies being Catopsilia pyranthe, C. florella, 

 Terias hecabe and Papilio demoleus. The bee-eater 

 I have also seen taking Danais chrysippus and Danais 

 septentrionis, and I remember to have been struck 

 with their taste for those latter " 



Col. Manders also brings forward evidence for these 

 Danaids and Euploeas being eaten by Drongos and by 

 the paradise flycatcher. StiU more recently an inter- 

 esting contribution to the matter has been made by 



1 Trans. Ent. Soc. Land. 1902. 

 « Trans. Ent. 800. Land. 1911. 



