2^90 [August, 1899. 



FURTHER STRAY NOTES ON SOUTH AFRICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 

 EBITED BY C G. BARRETT, F.E.S. 



Some further notes of interest have come to hand from my cor- 

 respondents in South Africa. They were travelling by waggon across 

 country from the King William's Town district to the Transkei 

 (Pondoland). " Draibosch — this is a pretty place ; we are encamped 

 on the top of a hill round the base of which winds a little river 

 marked by large trees, undergrowth, maidenhair ferns, and one beau- 

 tiful tree like a tree-fern, the trunk covered with scales and growing 

 out into knots. When E. went down to the river he found a moth 

 floating on the water (Bhanidophorci phedonia) , and brought it up in a 

 match box." Here follows a description of the cavalcade, not neces- 

 sarily of public or entomological interest, but there is a morsel of 

 natural history. " Apropos of the horses, one of them served us a 

 sorry trick on Saturday night. They were tied up to the baggage 

 waggon, and having nothing better to do while we slept, he lifted up 

 his long neck and ate holes in three pockets of sugar, which he much 

 enjoyed : fancy the consternation in the morning ! They say he ate 

 part of the waggon too ! !" " When at Kongha the wheel of the 

 baggage waggon was found to be unsound, so they stayed behind to 

 get it mended while the family waggon started on for ^Kei River, a 

 most beautiful place. Here Harry (who had been ill) was let out for 

 a bit, and found a big moth floating on the river." {Braura ligni- 

 clusa, a male in fine condition, except a small rent in a hind-wing). 

 " I went down to the river side with the net and caught several 

 Ringlets ' " {Pseudoni/mpha hi/perbius and Mycalesis Sqfitza var. 

 evenus) "and one or two common moths, the one with a stripe on its 

 wing (Sterrha sacraria) always settles on a grass stem or twig, with 

 its fore-wings completely concealing the hind, and both in a very 

 steep roof." 



" At the Tole River (or Toleni, as I find it is called) we were 

 obliged to wait several days, the baggage waggon not having rejoined 

 us ; however, we did not mind this much, as the insects were very 

 good. E. and the two boys went for a long walk and found those I 

 have packed in two boxes marked Tole River, mostly by searching the 

 ftoating refuse in the little river where the water was low, leaving 

 little scum-covered pools here and there among the stones. The great 

 prize in our opinion was one which we called 'Euclid' {Colhusa 

 delta, a Noctua with olive-black fore-wings, on which is inscribed a 

 large triangle in straight white stripes reaching from margin to 



