536 
BIONOMIC NOTES 
of dissimilar structure, but similar appearance, the Palaearctic Leueo- 
phasia sinapis, Linn., and the Oriental Nychitona xiphia, Fabr., 1 which 
are among the very feeblest fliers of my acquaintance. 
The slow gliding, floating (Hutchison), or skimming flight of 
certain Nymphalines, such as Neptis , Rahinda , Ergolis, and Eurytela , 
is well known to tropical collectors; what its significance may be I 
know not. My experiments indicate that Ergolis is palatable. 2 
It has not been my good fortune to capture that fine butterfly 
Parthenos cyaneus, Moore, but at Kandy I watched its tantalizing 
movements for some time as it flew to and fro far above my longest 
net-stick. Messrs, de Niceville and Manders say of this species, 
“ not rare, but is difficult to catch. It has a remarkably distinctive 
mode of flight, which makes it recognizable at once on the wing.” 3 
As those naturalists made no attempt to describe its peculiarity I 
will endeavour to do so:—The wings appear to be seldom raised 
much above the horizontal, but at comparatively long intervals they 
are strongly depressed with a jerk, the fly then gliding along for two 
or three yards. In marked contrast to this is the flight of Papilio 
parinda , Moore, attended with obvious flapping in which the wings 
are much raised but never appreciably depressed below the horizontal. 
I am glad to be able to add that Mr. E. E. Green agrees with the 
general accuracy of this description. 
The slow heavy flight of the Danaines is of course familiar; I 
might specially mention Crastia asela, Moore; Narmada montana , 
Feld.; Chittira fumata , Butl.; and Parantica aglea , Cram. I am, 
however, not aware that the peculiar dancing movement—up and 
down—of the two last-named has been placed on record: yet it was 
often so marked as to enable me to diagnose the insects at a con¬ 
siderable distance. At Kandy late in the afternoon, when other 
butterflies were getting scarce, P. aglea might often be seen slowly 
dancing about in all directions. 
At the Falls of the Zambesi I noted Papilio leonidas , Fabr., as 
flying slowly “ with the manner of a Danaid ”; this made me suspect 
it to be a mimic, as I afterwards found to be the case. 4 Mr. Marshall, 
who is quite familiar with the insect, whereas I have seen but very 
few specimens, speaks of P. leonidas as having a strong and rapid 
flight, and always going straight ahead. 5 I think there must have 
1 See above, p. 61. Also Ceylon, 1908. 
2 Supra, pp. 526, 527. 
3 Journ. Asiatic Soc. of Bengal, vol. lxviii., 1899, p. 188. 
4 Seo above, p. 229. 
5 Trans. Ent. Soc. Bond., 1902, p. 507. 
