194 [August, 



noticed them flying in numbers in tlie Lot sunsliine in a cultivated 'land,' where we 

 secured specimens. Since then I have come across one or two at intervals, and 

 early in May they were again flying gaily in groups among the long grass down by 

 the river, looking as though they were at play. I used to see them occasionally at 

 Annshaw about the Lantana, generally several at a time. When caught the body is 

 bright green, and of a very pulpy appearance. I have now reared one from a 

 chrysalis found upon a common veldt weed, but have another spun up on grass, and 

 I believe that we found it at Annshaw upon wild asparagus." 



[The body of this curious moth, which is closely allied to the genus Proeris, 

 becomes pale yellow-brown when dry, with an empty appearance ; its wings are 

 semi-transparent with a smoky tinge in the male, transparent and colourless in the 

 female, except that there is in each a dark brown dot at the base of each fore-wing; 

 the thorax is dark brown powdered with white scales, but the antennae are black 

 and more conspicuous than any other part of the insect. My sister does not seem 

 to have noticed the larva, but the cocoon, which is fixed upon the stem of some 

 slender plant, i'^ ovate, pure pearly-white like an exquisite rounded shell ; while the 

 portions of the pupa-skin protruding from it after the emergence of the moth are 

 thin, filmy, and absolutely colourless.] 



Dasticliira (Liparis) pulcerea, Hampson, n. sp. — " I find this species in the 

 shrubberies at night, usually by lantern light, sitting upon the trees and bushes, and 

 sometimes they will fly off and grovel upon the ground. Sometimes they are flying 

 close to the blossoming aloes. Once I found a male settled with its wings widely 

 spread on an aloe leaf, and on another occasion one certainly seemed to be feeding 

 on the aloe honey. From a female found here in October or November I had a 

 batch of eggs. These hatched in a little over a week. When quite young the 

 larva is yellow and has a very long tail tuft. Before spinning up the yellowish- 

 green dorsal tufts changed to bright brown, the white remaining unchanged. At the 

 beginning of December they were already full grown, their growth, like their move- 

 ments, being very rapid, and before the last had spun up the first moth had emerged. 

 These fed up on mimosa, and those found out of doors were upon the same food. 

 They spun up among the rubbish on the surface of the earth." 



[The male of this species reminds one in some degree of that of L. dispar, but 

 is rather smaller. Fore-wings very pale brown, with transverse lines, dots, and cloud- 

 ings of dark umbreous, the most conspicuous marking being an oblique band 

 which crosses a dark discal spot, and attains a similar costal blotch before the apex. 

 The hind-wings are cloudy grey-brown, and the abdomen and thorax are slender. 

 The female is much stouter, but not larger in expanse, its fore-wings are more 

 narrow, white, with faint transverse cloudings and a darker discal spot, the hind- 

 wings white or whitey-brown. Thus the sexes differ very greatly. I can see no 

 trace of a tongue, and am inclined to think that the proximity of one of the moths 

 to the aloe-honey must have been purely accidental. From the figure sent the full 

 grown larva is not unlike those of our native " Vapourer" moths ; the head yellow, 

 the tuft of hairs on each side of it long, very slender, or placed closely together, 

 feathered toward the tip, dark brown ; the bodj' dark purple-brown, with four thick 

 erect, " blacking-brush " shaped, yellow tufts, followed by a partial white dorsal .'stripe 

 and a thick white tuft edged with brown, directed obliquely backwards over the anal 



