538 
BIONOMIC NOTES 
returning again and again to settle on my hat, my net, or the net- 
stick on the ground. It struck me at the time that it might probably 
be guided by the sense of smell, especially as it selected the part of 
my net-stick that was most handled. Yet it is quite possible that 
the butterfly was attracted by my white tropical clothing, and by 
the light colour of the cork, which was fairly conspicuous in the 
increasing gloom under the palms. 
The Ceylon Papilios would appear to be more easily netted in 
the afternoon than in the morning; this is especially true of 
Ornithoptera darsius, Gray, and P. parinda, Moore. 
P. demoleus, Linn., is swift of flight; so is P. agamemnon , Linn., 
which has a darting movement. The last-named is quite an incon¬ 
spicuous butterfly whether on the wing or at rest, affording a marked 
contrast to the glorious P. crino , Fabr., which is startling in its 
almost luminous brilliance. 
The flight of P. hector , Linn., is not especially swift, but is marked 
by the straightness of its course, seeming to keep on one level. Its 
black, white, and scarlet colouring is very obvious in flight, and the 
strong contrast of colours seems to make the movement of its wings 
more obvious and more rapid in appearance. 
In marked contrast with the last is P. aristolochiae, Fabr., which 
sails about slowly and quietly with little obvious flapping of the 
wings; it moves in a stately way as if confident in its immunity 
from attack and is the most easily caught of all the group. 
P. polytes, Linn., two of whose polymorphic females mimic hector 
and aristolochiae respectively, behaves very differently from them, 
and seems to trust much to swiftness of flight; my observations 
chiefly relate to the <J, and I have an impression that the flight of 
the $ is slower, but this requires confirmation. “ Though well known 
to Indian entomologists I am not aware that the contrast in flight 
between polytes and aristolochiae has yet been placed on record.” 
Since this was written, 1 Prof. Punnett 2 and Col. Manders 3 have 
called attention to the differences between the flight of the three 
Swallow-tails, though they speak from a different point of view. 
It is a notable habit with many Papilios that, when settled on 
flowers, feeding, they keep their wings in almost constant movement. 
This has been noted in all the following species:— 0. darsius , which, 
when feeding, occasionally stops fluttering, dropping the fore-wings 
back (towards the abdomen); P. parinda , P. hector , P. aristolochiae , 
1 Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1909, p. 640. 
2 Spolia Zeylanica, vol. vii., part xxv., 1910, p. 7. 
3 Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1911, p. 714. 
