8 [June, 



which I have just received fi'om my friend Mr. George Thomson, of 

 Victoria, Ambas Bay, who has recently been exploring the upper 

 regions of Mount Camaroons. " One day (he writes) when sauntering 

 " in front of the house where we lodged (about 5000 feet above the 

 " level of the sea), I observed a large butterfly skimming gracefully 

 " about the tops of the trees. It looked like a large Acrcea. I watched 

 " it, hoping it might descend within reach ; but, after playing about 

 " for some time, it went off in a downward direction, with a steady 

 " sailing flight, but still keeping far from the ground. I could see it 

 " for a long time clear over the trees. I have seen no Acrcea neaidy 

 " so large, nor any other butterfly like it for size and mode of flight. 

 " Could it have been Antimaehus ?" If it was really this fine species 

 (and what else could it have been ?) that my correspondent saw, his 

 description would be a striking confirmation of Smeathman's account. 



The fact that examples of P. Antimaehus have been taken at 

 various localities between Sierra Leone and Gaboon would seem to 

 lead us to infer that the species has a wide range of distribution. 

 But such a conclusion, I fear, would be rather premature. Although 

 five localities are mentioned, they yet represent but three regions, 

 which are widely separated from each other, and possess physical 

 features presented by hardly any other portions of VTestern Africa. 

 Sierra Leone and Sherboro' belong to a region of wooded hills and 

 valleys. Old Calabar is so close to the north-western extension of 

 the Camaroons range of mountains, that it may justly be considered 

 part of the same mountain region. That portion of the Gaboon 

 country from which there is every reason to be believed at least three 

 examples of P. Antimaehus have come, is also a region of wooded 

 elevations. We thus find that the only specimens of this species of 

 which we have any knowledge, have come, not only from hilly and 

 mountainous regions, but from the only regions which can be called 

 such lying within the great belt of forest which runs from Senegambia 

 a 5 far south as the estuary of the Congo. Are we to infer from this 

 that the food plant of this insect only grows at certain elevations ? 



It has been suggested that one of the reasons why P. Antimaehus 

 has not been met with in other localities than those mentioned is, 

 because no one has sought for it elsewhere, or has hit upon the exact 

 locality, or collected during the right season. I can only remark that 

 all this is just possible, but scarcely probable, when we consider that 

 Mr. Skertchly made large collections in the forests of Ashantee, — that 

 Mr. Crossley, one of the most diligent of collectors, explored the most 

 accessible parts of Camaroons, — that the writer collected dui'ing seven 



