1912.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 207 
Natural Science, December, 1892. They deal chiefly with the East 
African lizards, Mabuia striata and Hemidactylus mabuia. Several 
presumably distasteful insects were refused by these species. They 
refused wood lice also, which were eaten, however, by Gerrhosaurus 
major. 
Experiments to determine the tastes of Calotes were also per- 
formed by R. C. Punnett in Ceylon. Punnett concludes that the 
lizard tested (in confinement) by him showed no discrimination in 
the choice of various adult Lepidoptera offered. ‘‘The presumably 
distasteful Danais was eaten before the presumably palatable 
Euschema or Mycalesis, and the so-called distasteful Euplea was 
taken before the supposedly palatable Junonia iphita of not very 
dissimilar coloration. Nor was any hesitation manifested towards 
Papilio aristolochie with its postulated evil taste and marked warning 
coloration” (p. 13). Punnett also found the larve of the last-named 
insect as well as an adult Danais plexippus were eaten by another 
lizard (Lyriocephalus). ‘From such experiments as these one can 
hardly fail to draw the conclusion that Calotes as well as Lyriocephalus 
will readily eat anything in the way of butterflies that they come 
across. Nor is this surprising, in view of the fact that such noxious 
creatures as the large ant (Hcophylla smaragdina) and hairy cater- 
pillars constitute a considerable proportion of the contents of their 
stomachs. They certainly do not appear to exercise that nice 
discrimination with regard to butterflies, which is necessary for the 
establishment of mimicking forms on the theory of natural selection”’ 
(p. 13). 
Lieut.-Col. Neville Manders also performed experiments with 
lizards* in Ceylon, using the following species: Calotes versicolor, 
C. ophiomachus, C. nigrilabris, C. zeylanica, and Ceratophora stoddartt. 
The last two species are smaller than the others and would not try 
to eat butterflies either when caged or free. The experiments with 
free specimens of the other three species resulted as follows: Lepi- 
doptera classed as edible, A11; Lepidoptera classed as nauseous, 
A17R3. Manders says one of the latter was at first refused because 
of large size, then partly eaten, and the other two were too dry. 
He further states “that so long as the butterflies remained per- 
fectly still, they were entirely unnoticed by the lizards, though they 
might be in close proximity to them” (p. 708). This indicates that 
3 J, No. 10, pp. 746, 747. 7 
34 Spolia zeylanica, VII, Pt. XXV, September, 1910, pp. 12, 13. 
3 Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1911, pp. 707-710. 
