58 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
April, 1928 
New Guinea and contiguous islands. This colouration 
unfortunately is fugitive. 
The caterpillar and chrysalis are well known and 
easily collected on or about a small trailing* Aristolochia 
found growing on Taylor’s Range and other hills around 
Brisbane. Once when camped on Cootehie Muddlb, an 
island forming the northern boundary of Kedland Bay, 
a large number of extra fine specimens were obtained 
from pupa? collected there. Recently Mr. Franzen found 
many on or about the food plant at Mt. Coot-ha, and to 
him 1 am indebted for the specimens figured. 
It seems to be a great wanderer, and is often found 
in our garden at Bulimba. We do not disturb them, as 
they are quite harmless to the vegetation, except the 
wild Aristolochia not found hereabouts. It is often seen 
in the streets of the suburbs, and occasionally of the city. 
The male butterfly exhales a very pleasant perlum v 
Note, — There is another butterfly much smaller, 
which the children term the “little greasy.” It however 
belongs to a different family of butterflies known as 
Nymphalidae. containing six sub-families, and is include 1 
in that known as Acrainae under Aeraea andromaclia of 
Fabricius. and is our only representative, though the 
Acraeinae are numerous in species in Africa. 
o — 
THE SUN AND PLANT DISTRIBUTION. 
By 1). A. HERBERT, M.Sc. 
[Presidential Address delivered before the Annual 
Meeting* of the Queensland Naturalists’ Club. 19th 
February, 1928.] 
In the interior of rain forests daylight fades long 
before the sun has set, owing to the interception of light 
by the canopy of leaves. The tree-tops may be receiving 
the last rays of the setting sun, but the plants below are 
in semi-darkness. Even at mid-day the shaft of sunlight 
filtering through the upper leaf-storv fails to disperse 
the gloom entirely, and the plants of the forest floor are 
subjected to a shortened day and weakened light. They 
develop broader and thinner leaves than do plants out in 
the open, and are adapted to make more use of what 
light is at their disposal. Delicate ferns thrive in such 
moist, shady habitats, and many are totally unfitted for 
