KANDY 
355 
The glorious sub-family of the Papilionines, Linnaeus’ ideal 
butterflies, forms quite a feature of the Ceylon landscape; they do 
not require looking for, since they force themselves on the attention. 
On the occasion of my first visit to Ceylon, in the middle of March, 
1904, I met with but one specimen of the black and green Papilio 
agamemnon (see above, p. 112), but in 1908 it was certainly the 
commonest of the genus, being in fact abundant in the latter half 
of January. Though nearly all the specimens were more or less 
tattered and torn, in one the injuries affected both hind-wings 
symmetrically, and I deemed them to be probably the result of an 
attack by a vertebrate enemy. This butterfly especially favoured the 
hill-top, where it might be seen fluttering its wings—from time to 
time momentarily closing them—as it sipped honey from Lantana, 
Stachytarpheta or Vernonia. When on flowers it was easily taken, but 
it is surprising how inconspicuous it is, as well during its swift dart¬ 
ing flight as when settled. In marked contrast with agamemnon is 
the truly magnificent P. crino, Fabr., its brilliant green which when 
in the hand gleams like a diamond beetle, seeming almost luminous 
in the sunlight. The first sight of it caused a never-to-be-forgotten 
thrill of delight. It is not easy to catch, moreover it frequently 
breaks off its tails by violent fluttering in the net. I saw scarcely 
a dozen specimens in all, mostly attracted by Lantama bloom, 
though chary of settling on the flowers. The form taken in Ceylon 
is P. montanus, Felder, but this is not peculiar to the Island. 
Papilio pammon was fairly common at Kandy. This butterfly 
is far more difficult to catch than either P. aristolochiae (which is 
undoubtedly a distasteful species) or P. hector. Unfortunately I 
secured but two females, one of the form cyrus , Fabr. (that resembling 
the male, being Wallace’s form I.), the other of the interesting form 
romulus, Cram. (Wallace’s form III.), a good mimic of P. hector , a 
species which could scarcely be called common. The latter is un¬ 
questionably tenacious of life, a point that I have not noted in 
pammon. Again, hector has a somewhat musty odour; whereas 
in the only specimen of pammon in which I detected any scent it 
was somewhat agreeable. 
P. aristolochiae , f. ceylonica , Moore, is almost as difficult to kill as 
hector; it flies slowly, going straight on, and has a scent that I 
once compared to that of new black net, but more usually to that of 
musty hay. It was quite common at Kandy. Of P. dcmoleus I 
saw but one or two. Of P. lanheswara , Moore, f. dissimilis, Linn., 
and of P. sarpedon, Linn., race teredon y Feld., one each. On the other 
hand the Ceylon race of P. polymnestor, Cram., which Mr. Rothschild 
