THE BUTTERFLIES OF CEYLON 111 
good condition. The males are much addicted to settling on 
wet roads, but are not gregarious like doson ; usuaily there is 
only one on the wet patch, and to find more than two is 
extremely rare. 
They are very plentiful at Haldummulla all the year round, 
and I have found them common at Kottawa, near Galle, and 
at Ohiya (6,000 feet). They become much rarer in the drier 
districts, and I have not yet seen a specimen in the northern 
half of the Island. They do not join in the flights. 
188. PAPILIO(ZETIDES) AGAMEMNON MENIDES, FE. Papilio 
agamemnon, B. Zetides agamemnon, M.; P. agamemnon,,. is 
found in India, Malaya, China, etc. The race menides, which 
only differs in the greater length of the tails, is restricted to 
Southern India and Ceylon. 
It is common all over the low-country, but especially so in 
the south. Not rare in the hills at times, and, as a rule, does 
not appear to be “ flighting,’ as the direction of flight is 
seldom constant. In November, 1917, however, I saw it 
at Pattipola in great numbers, and on this occasion it was 
certainly “‘ flighting,’’ as all were flying due south. 
It is most frequently caught when visiting flowers. It 
only stops a very short time at each blossom, so is not easy 
to capture. Occasionally the males may be taken settled on 
the mud near cattle sheds or lines. 
HESPERT DE. 
I have found this group of butterflies very difficult to 
name, as the true status of our forms can only be arrived at 
by the examination of a large number of allied species from 
India, etc. The literature is rather meagre, as they were not 
dealt with in De Nicéville’s work, and have not yet been 
reached in the ‘‘ Fauna of India”’ series. The leading works 
are Moore’s ‘“‘Lepidoptera Indica,” and ‘‘A Revision of the 
Oriental Hesperiide’’ by Messrs. Elwes and Edwards (Transac- 
tions of the Zoological Society of London, Vol. XIV., 
Part 4). The latter work mainly decides questions of specific 
identity by an examination of the genitalia of the males, 
and the authors point out “‘ that a very considerable practice 
