548 
THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGED. 
but unfortunately only small specimens could be reached. The rattans are a serious 
obstacle in excursions in the forests. The tendrils of these trailing and climbing palms 
are beset with rows of recurved hooks, which, as they are drawn across the explorer’s 
flesh in a dash made to get a shot at a bird, or by a stumble, cut into it as readily as 
knives, and inflict a more unpleasant wound. 
An immense tree with a tall stem free from branches, until at a great height it spreads 
out into a wide and evenly shaped crown, was full of the nests of the Metallic Starling 
( Gtlornis metcillica), a very beautiful small starling with dark plumage, which displays a 
brilliant purple metallic glance all over its surface. The Starlings breed thus gregariously; 
there must have been three or four hundred nests in the tree, every available branch being 
full of them. The birds were busy dying to and fro, and were quite safe, for the tree 
was so high that they were out of shot. 
On one of the excursions in the forest a flock of brilliant plumaged parrots was met 
with, apparently feeding in company with a flock of' white cockatoos. One of the parrots 
was successfully stalked and shot, whereupon the cockatoos set up the most angry harsh 
screaming, evidently making common cause with the parrots. They sat and screamed 
at the shooter on a tree close lay, as angrily as if one of their own flock had been shot, 
and then flew overhead high up out of reach of the gun, looking down at the dead bird 
and still screaming. 
The splendid large Bird-winged Butterfly ( Ornithoptera poseidon), with brilliant green 
and velvety black wings, was common in the woods, but flew high and was difficult to 
catch. One or two were shot with dust shot, without their being utterly damaged, but 
the best chance of catching them is when a flock of males can be met with, fluttering 
round and mobbing a single female ; they are then hovering slowly, quite close to the 
ground, and can easily be caught. The female has thus a large body of gaudy admirers 
from which to make her choice. Interesting results might possibly be derived from a 
series of experiments in which, in the case of brightly coloured and decorated butterflies, 
the colours should be rubbed off the wings of a few amongst a number of males, or painted 
over of a black or brown colour. It might be tested whether the females would always 
prefer the brightly coloured ones, and dark coloured butterflies might have the wings 
of the male touched up with a little colour. 
A Snake (Dipsos arruensis ) was obtained at Wokan. Amongst the insects collected 
were three new species of Lepidoptera, 1 viz., Thanaos inornatus, Plesioneura proserpina, 
and Papilio alcidinus , the last of which furnishes an interesting case of mimicry, which 
will be. alluded to in the sequel (p. 581) ; a new specics of Coleoptera ( Cautires amabilis), 
and specimens of Telephones preeustus, Guerin, which have been made the type of a 
new genus ( Sphcerarthrum ) by Mr. Waterhouse. 2 
1 A. G. Butler, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hint., ser. 5, vol. xi. pp. 423, 424, 1884, 
2 0, O. Waterhouse, Ibid., vol. xiii. pp. 280-282, 1884. 
