1900.] 1J,1 



and white cilia ; body ruddy-brown, with a complete silvery-white line down the 

 middle of the back from head to tail, and pink and white stripes on the long shoulder- 

 lappets. I know of no hawk-moth equalling it in loveliness.] 



DeilepAila capensis, L. — " I have been thinking about this species. Those that 

 came to the orange trees at night behaved differently to the other hawk-moths. 

 Gt-enerally I get them only at dusk, just for a little while, and then they vanish ; if 

 I take out a light they are not about ; but these {D. capensis) came late in the 

 evening, and were inexpressibly beautiful, glancing about among the orange flowers, 

 their eyes like living coals." 



Acherontia Atropos, L. — " The young people have caught two ' Death's-heads ' 

 fighting the bees in the windows of a big room, where, unfortunately, the latter have 

 obtained a footing. The combs are high up among the rafters, and the window gills 

 and floor get thickly sprinkled with dead bees." [Later.] " I have been asking 

 about the fight of the Death's-heads with the bees in the long room, which happened 

 while I was away. Arthur noticed a commotion among the bees, and looking up at 

 the top of the window saw them flying round and apparently trying to sting the 

 largest of the Death's-heads which I sent. He says that it made a cry something 

 like a beetle's note (E. says that the Spanish flies make a similar cry when you hold 

 them by the back). After a while the fight ceased, and the moth settled on the 

 lower part of the window. We do not even know whether it was stung, for Arthur 

 bottled it for you. The smaller Death's-head was found at the bees' nest in the 

 other wing. It was just settled against the window-frame quite quiet, the bees only 

 buzzing about. The honey there sometimes runs down the wall." [Later.] " We 

 have found more, always at or near the bees' nests, which are so high that we can- 

 not see what is going on in the dim obscurity of the gables. Those which are found 

 by day are quietly settled in the window frame, with the bees buzzing round in a 

 rage. One was settled under the bees' nest at night when I went in with a light ; 

 there was also a bat flying round, and presently there was a contest with the bat 

 which should get it, till it fortunately took shelter in the net. Another flew round 

 a room where we had an entertainment one night, finally settling on one of the boys, 

 and uttered its cry when he took it into his hand. The cry is very interesting." 



Lophuron magnificum, Eothschild. — "Last night I caught a beautiful little 

 hawk-moth by watching a flowering bush in the old mission garden until I had a 

 chance, and then making a dash for it. These flowering bushes grow among the 

 prickly pear, in which it is impossible to net anything. The only opportunity is 

 when the moth ventures to an outside twig, about which it is very shy. I have 

 caught the same species about the blossoming peach trees, along with that ruddy- 

 brown beauty (Deilephila Scheticki), also at the orange blossom, and Arthur found 

 one by day on a mulberry leaf, which he secui-ed with little trouble." 



[This is a charming little species, about the size of Choerocampa porcellus, but 

 more of the shape of Smerinthus tilice, its fore-wings pale grey-brown, with a large 

 dark olive costal triangle, in which is a white spot, also some irregular olive dorsal 

 markings or even a complete central band ; the hind-wings yellow at the base, rich 

 red at the apex, and with a large semi-ocellus of grey and blue at the anal angle ; 

 thorax pale grey in the middle, olive-green on each side. It has been quite recently 

 discovered, and named by the Hon. Walter Rothschild.] 



