BY GERVASE F. MATIIEW, R.N., P.L.S., P.Z.S., F.R.G.S., &C. 253 



of a small dark metallic-blue Lyccena were disporting themselves 

 about it. They were in such swarms, and attached themselves so 

 exclusively to this plant, that I suspected that it formed the food 

 of their larvae, so waited a bit and watched them, and presently 

 observed a female settle upon one of the clusters of flower buds, 

 and after crawling backwaixls and forwards once or twice over 

 them and touching each individual bud with antennte as if looking 

 out for a suitable spot, she thrust her abdomen between two of the 

 buds and deposited an egg at their base. After this I had no 

 difficulty in finding larvse of all sizes feeding in the flowers ; the 

 petals of all those attacked withered and drooped so that they 

 could easily be detected. This Lyccena was the most abundant 

 butterfly upon the island, but several other species were taken, as 

 well as a few small moths, a list of which, as far as I have been 

 able to determine, will be found at the end of this paper. 



At six o'clock AUenby rejoined me. He had bagged twenty 

 plovers and sandpipers of diff'erent kinds, and said that they were 

 remarkably wild and that it was no easy matter to get within shot 

 of them. On our way back to the ship a tremendous white shark 

 followed the boat, and at one time I really thought it was going 

 to attack us. It was a formidable looking monster, and must have 

 been quite ten or twelve feet long. 



The next day, 13th April, the ship remained at anchor all day 

 ofi" the island exercising at various drills &c., and I was able to get 

 on shore directly after breakfast. I took a gun, butterfly net and 

 some lunch, and having deposited the heavy gear beneath the 

 shadiest tree, put some cartridges in my pocket and proceeded to 

 beat the island for quail, &c. This took me about an hour, when 

 I retvirned to the tree and rested for half an hour or so, and then 

 went for a entomological ramble, returning to my tree again for 

 lunch and rest, and so on until fouro'clock, when I went on board. 

 The time passed very quickly and pleasantly, though it was rather 

 hot tramping through the long grass in a blazing sun. While 

 eating my lunch, or dozing in the shade, the herons pitched in the 

 tree above or upon the bushes on each side, and seemed to scrutinize 



