1877.] 153 



My larvae had all changed by the 8th December, 1872. The first 

 butterfly appeared IStli May, 1873, while we were at sea in lat. 4° S. ; 

 the second on 7th July at sea, in lat. 35° N. ; and the remainder 

 emerged at irregular intervals up to the l7th December, when the two 

 last reached the perfect state while we were at San Bias, on the coast 

 of Mexico, having been more than a year in the chrysalis state, and 

 subjected to a variety of temperatures. 



H.M.S. " Britannia," Dartmouth : 

 Nov. Qth, 1877. 



NOTES ON A COLLECTION OF BUTTERFLIES FEOM ZANZIBAR, 

 WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES OF ACR^A. 



BY W. C. HEWITSON, F.L.S. 



Mr. Buxton has very kindly given me a small collection of butter- 

 flies from Zanzibar, rich in beautiful things. Amongst them the fine 

 Sarma Achlys of Hopffer, the very pretty Peryplysia Leda of Gers- 

 taecker, and two very distinct new species of Acrcea, together with a 

 most exquisite variety of A. Dammi (Ward's Masonala) suffused witb 

 carmine. Mr. Buxton tells his own tale (a very sad one) in the ac- 

 companying notes with which he has kindly favoured me : — 



"The district where I collected all my insects and birds was about 

 80 miles from Zanzibar, to the S. W., on the Mainland. There was a 

 most magnificent harbour (Darrasalam) coming up to the house or 

 palace I lived in, a square old Moorish residence with fine airy rooms. 

 Next the village, there was a large plantation, a quarter of a mile of 

 manioc, then cocoa nut plantation, but of very low growth. In the 

 morning particularly, the cocoa nut bushes were covered in hundreds 

 by that beautiful reddish-brown butterfly, Eurijjhene Cocalia, of which 

 I sent so many — the female, with a white mark on the wings. They were 

 very tame ; as soon as ever they were caught, and found to be im- 

 perfect, and let go, they settled upon the next piece of cocoa nut. 



"In the brushwood, there were hundreds of butterflies, but chiefly 

 Danais and common species. Further on there was a long shady glade, 

 and along this the beautiful green JRhomalcBosoma was sunning itself in 

 hundreds ; they were perfectly fearless, but very difficult to catch, and, 

 like the others, as soon as they were caught, and let loose, they settled 

 at once. On a sunny day there were generally forty or fifty in this 

 glade ; and I had to walk up and down to look for a new specimen, 

 and come away sometimes without any. 



" To the right of this was my great hunting ground. I found it 



