128 
CHINA 
that the insects were attracted by the ordure, but of a certainty they 
were not repelled by its stench. 1 Yet experience of collecting in 
England (especially of sugaring) has convinced me that moths avoid 
the neighbourhood of dung-hills, ashpits, and refuse heaps. 
Another circumstance worth noting is that close by the Lantana 
was a quantity of another Yerbenaceous plant with blue flowers 
(probably a Stacliytarpheta) which appeared to be scentless. This 
attracted swarms of the common Ganoris, but not a Papilio or Trep- 
sichrois ; perhaps the tube of this flower was too small for the proboscis 
of the larger butterflies. 
Day-flying moths are quite a feature of Hongkong, and several 
notable sorts turned up. Of Chalcosia thallo , Linn., only one was 
taken, but of another moth belonging to the same group, the black 
and white, red-headed Pidorus glaucopis , Drury, I got six; a single 
individual of Euschema ( Dysphania ) militaris , Linn., a big gaudy 
slow-flying Geometer with black and yellow colouring, brought 
vividly to mind our own Arctia villica, though it is even more like 
the Chalcosiine Canerkes euschemoides, Moore. Another Geometer 
that made itself obvious was the large yellow and fuscous Magpie, 
Obeidia tigrata , Guen.; this has a somewhat slow flight, and on the 
wing often looks like a yellow butterfly; it was abundant and 
decidedly gregarious, many flying about one tree in the afternoon. 
When pinched it exudes a yellow juice having a bitter taste. I do 
not appear to have examined it for scent, but whether or no it possesses 
an evil odour, it has other characteristics of a protected species. At 
flowers I took single specimens of the fuscous and white Leptosoma 
celsum, Walk., and the orange-headed, black and white Macrobrochis 
gigas, Walk., both belonging to the Hypsidae. At flowers there was 
also a yellow-under-winged Agaristid, Zalissa albifascia, Walk. (var.). 
Another day-flying moth belonging to quite a different group, the 
Lymantriidae , was a smoky^grey and white Pantana not represented 
in the British Museum. Mr. Druce told me that it agreed with a 
species described by him from a specimen taken on the Chinese 
mainland under the name of eurygania. I gave Sir George Hampson 
a specimen which stood in the collection at Cromwell Boad for some 
time as Pantana eurygania, Druce. Subsequently, however, Col. C. 
Swinhoe examined it, and satisfied Sir George that it was distinct 
from Druce’s species, and described it as P. droa , sp. nov. 2 I found 
the males flying freely among pine trees above the Happy Valley, 
1 See above, p. 83; compare Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1906, p. 315. 
2 Arm. Mag. Nat. Hist., 7th Ser., vol. 17, p. 543 (1906). “ Nearest to P. terminata , 
Walk., from Burma.” 
