( 452 ) 



clearing up any donbts abont the females previously mentioned ; and also one female 

 of the banded Troides.* I obtained an egg from her, but am doubtful of finding 

 the creeper here to rear the larva on. I have also seen one more male, black and 

 gold, presumably of the species with the banded body. Now is the first quarter 

 of the moon. I shall stop here until the first full moon after next — that is, about 

 five weeks." 



On November IGth Meek obtained the male of Troides chimurra. " 1 have 

 the male at last I It is a most beautiful insect, all black and gold. There are 

 three long stripes on the forewiug ; the hiudwiug is semitransparent and gold^ 

 inclining to be tailed. 



"I am not bothering much about birds, the leeches being too bad. I told 

 you before, I have no good shooting-boys this trip, consequently my assistants have 

 an easy time. Birds are not worth collecting unless one can utilise the shooting- 

 boys as boat's crew. 



" I got a small Chaiaxes-\\kQ butterfly new to me. It is greenish white with 

 deep black border.f 



" We have had a spell of comparatively dry weather," A. S. Meek continues 

 on November 22nd, "and have made several additions to the collection. There is 

 one large ' Owl-butterfly,' chocolate, with large eyes on the hindwing ; it has a 

 similar eye near the tip of the forewing and a large cream or yellow band.j; I 

 have also two more females of the banded Troides chimaera, and a female of a 

 possibly new species (though doubtful), with the forewings black and the hindwings 

 dark yellow and black. § There is yet another Pierid, for which I think you will 

 have to make a new genus, and several handsome day-flying moths. The collection 

 is going to become a good one. The Troides male alone is worth coming for, if 

 one could only afford to collect for pleasure. It is the most handsome and the 

 largest species I have seen. The specimen is absolutely perfect. I have now two 

 fertile eggs of the species." 



Mr. Meek did not succeed in rearing the larvae. 



As the consignment of insect-boxes despatched from Triug had not reached 

 him before starting for the mountains, Meek was rather short of boxes for the 

 set insects. On December Gth he writes : " I have been busy all day shifting 

 specimens, repacking and throwing away any damaged specimens of insects, 

 trying to economise sjiace so as to be able to make a longer stay than originally 

 intended. So you can judge what my joy was to see my mail-boys coming back, 

 after fourteen days' absence, with two packs of store-boxes and a big mail. I will 

 now stay longer here, in spite of the troublesome natives. By Jove I after getting 

 my camp safely away, I should like to come back and punish a few of these 

 niggers here most severely. There are some here with whom I should not put up 

 any longer, if it was not for getting the camp away. They arc too trying. 1 do 

 not know which way to go back, as I am afraid of the Aroa River in the wet 

 season, on account of getting the collections over. Perhaps I shall go back the 

 way I came up the first time. 



" Four of my boys have run away. 



" I have got another female of the banded Troides, perfect, with the exce])tion 

 of the legs being lost. The natives shot all the females with pronged arrows. I 

 felt more pleased when the male of this 8i)ecics was brought in than if I had been 



* Troidfi fkiititu-rai % A new J\fofj>Jtfljf8i.t. 



f IMcijrii. § Aberraut $ of eiiphoriau, 



