182 'August. 



On my return to Wellington, a visit to the sea-coast near Sinclair 

 Head early in March resulted in the capture, under bark, of the large 

 Hister, Sternaulax zealandicus Mars., and a second visit to Kaitoke on 

 24th March produced a fine $ specimen of the handsome Coptomma 

 variegatum Fab., but beyond these no further captures of importance 

 "were made before the close of the season. 



Hillview, Karori, 



Wellington, New Zealand. 

 May 1st, 1920. 



NOTES ON SOME INSECTS COLLECTED NEAE CAPE TOWN, 

 S. AFEICA. 



BY ALFRED F. J. GEDTE, F.E.S. 



In the present paper an attempt is made to give the result of a 

 month's collecting at Cape Town and its immediate environment. I 

 landed at Cape Town on February 123rd, 1920, and left for Kimberley 

 on April 6th. In order to explain the apparent paucity of the number 

 of species recorded, it is perhaps necessary to make a few preliminary 

 remarks. 



The hottest weather in Cape Town is from October nntil about the 

 middle of March, when the rains are generally expected although not 

 always forthcoming. This year (1920) the hot weather has been except 

 tionally intense, and as yet there is no sign of rain, although the pi-esent 

 time of writing is the end of April. It can only be expected that such 

 a severe drought has a very deteriorating effect on insect-life in general ; 

 in fact, all Nature appears somewhat stagnant, and the incessant '* hum " 

 of insects on an English summer day is entirely absent in this country. 

 This perhaps accounts for the difficulty of collecting. Entomologically, 

 the Cape Peninsula has always had a bad reputation, which can be 

 probably explained by two reasons. Firstl}^, very little of the vegeta- 

 tion is indigenous, and the streets of Cape Town, the slopes of Table 

 Mountain, and the Lion's Head are thickly covered Avith tall firs and 

 conifers, and an occasional oak forest planted by the early Dutch 

 settlers. Secondly, the paucity of insect-life is probably, in part, due 

 to the violent " south-easters " which sweep aci'oss the peninsula during 

 the hot weather, by which means many insects are swept out to sea and 

 lost. Dr. Peringuey, of the S. African Museum, tells me that once, 

 when on a schooner in Table Bay, he saw three specimens of Copris 

 plutns F, blown forcibly on to the deck. 



