OCR Text |
Show 1891.] THE NAGA AND KAREN HILLS AND PERAK. 253 infernal machines, no Naga will venture into the forest land of another village. Nevertheless many deaths are caused by them. I myself saw one only just in time on Japoo, and m y Lepchas on account of them, and their lack of enterprise, never wander far. So far every locality in which we have taken any good Butterflies on this expedition has been found by me. My men, even m y Maslaman, who is a good jangal-wala, rarely go beyond where I have led them. This very likely explains the comparatively small results achieved by them at Buxa, which seems to be naturally a grand place for insects. " It is my opinion that there will be no autumn brood of Butterflies in the high country of these hills. As for the lowlands there is some chance of one about October 1st, though none came out last autumn at Sadiya and Margharita. Wood-Mason found August and September best at low elevations in Cachar. Here there was nothing in August below 5000 feet, nothing at all. I think you have an exaggerated view of the ' succession of broods' through the rainy season, or Sikkim at least must be very exceptional in this respect. In Borneo, during m y first week there in September, I got about 90 good Butterflies a day, in most monotonous virgin forest without paths. In January here, except two or three common Junonias, and a few truly continuous species like Ypihimas and Ragadia crista, perhaps ten in all, I did not see more than three Butterflies a day on an average, compared with about 500 in m y first week. " Hitherto I have found here only the seven Sikkim species of Cyaniris (of which puspa was taken at low elevations only, the other six only at high ones) and an additional one chennelli, of which I send the undescribed female. I had hoped to get a much larger number, because in Java of eight species examined only three (namely, puspa, placida, and dilectus) were Indian." Writing from Nichugard, on his return there on November 2nd, Mr. Doherty says : - " I sent two men to the low country after the middle of September, but they scarcely caught anything. " It rained furiously, and now I feel sure that there is never an autumn brood in these hills either in high or low country. Possibly on their southern face at Manipur it may be otherwise, as it is at Cherra-punji and apparently in North Cachar. M y trip up Japoo towards the end of September did not result in much. I got a number of Armandias, several of them in good condition, so, strange as it seems, there must be an autumn brood after all. At the extreme summit, 9895 feet, I got Everes kala and a worn Zephyrus. At night I got a number of Geometridse, mostly small, in m y camp at 8000 feet. This shows the lateness of the season, as they are always the last [? first.-H. J. E.] Moths out. As the weather was warm and wet, I expected a great variety of Moths, especially as I had failed there in July, and as I had done so well at Margharita last year up to December 7th, though it was very cold and dry all through November. " Throughout the rains my baits failed, and I prematurely con- |