554 
BIONOMIC NOTES 
published till long afterwards. The extracts from his diary of that 
year, brought to light by Prof. Poulton, give a most vivid description 
of some phases of the struggle for existence as it may be seen in a 
tropical forest. Col. Bingham says :— 
The Melanitis was there among dead leaves, its wings folded 
and looking, for all the world, a dead dry leaf itself. With 
regard to Melanitis , I have not seen it recorded anywhere 
that the species of this genus when disturbed fly a little way, 
drop suddenly into the undergrowth with closed wings and 
invariably lie a little askew and slanting, which still more 
increases their likeness to a dead leaf casually fallen to the 
ground. 1 
E. H. Aitkin’s papers in the Times of India reappeared in 1894 
as “A Naturalist on the Prowl.” His description of this habit of 
Melanitis has been already quoted (p. 75, supra). Dr. Dixey called my 
attention to this passage (as he has to so many other things), and to 
the similar habit of Satyrus semele, Linn. In the summer of 1903 
we watched many specimens of the latter butterfly at Mortehoe, and 
found that, as a rule, they settled on the ground “ in three motions ” : 
—(1) the wings are brought together over the back; (2) the fore¬ 
wings are almost completely drawn between the hind-wings ; (3) the 
whole is thrown over to right or left (indifferently), to the extent of 
30° or 40° or even 50°. I have observed that in confinement the 
third movement sometimes precedes the second. It is remarkable 
that the creature seems to attach more importance to this tilt or list 
when settled in sunshine than in shade. Of this I feel assured from 
observations on the butterflies confined in a large paste-board box 
covered with a piece of glass. Epinephele jurtina , Linn., and E. 
hyperanthus, Linn., similarly observed in confinement, are also often 
seen out of the upright, but the list in their case does not exceed 15° 
to 20°. In confinement I have once observed Pararge aegeria , Linn., 
and P. megaera , Linn., sitting with a list of about 25°. 
My Indian experience (1903) enabled me to add three species to 
the “ listing ” butterflies :— Mycalesis indistans , Moore, slight list; 
Hipparchia parisatis, Koll., 20° to 30°; Aulocera swaha , Koll., 45° to 
50°. In the last-named species the same individuals were observed 
sometimes to go over to the right, sometimes to the left; one was 
seen to make three efforts, getting further over each time. A 
specimen of H. parisatis was observed walking about with a list 
of 20°. 
1 Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1902, p. 363. All the extracts there given deserve the 
most careful study. 
