1882.J 19 



butterfly I had previously met with. They flew very rapidly during 

 the hottest part of the day, and were fond of passing backwards and 

 forwards in front of some favourite bush, before which they occasion- 

 ally stopped and hovered, their wings being moved with extreme 

 rapidity. Sometimes they would suddenly alight on the under-side of 

 a leaf and were lost to view, and one's beating stick had to be brought 

 into requisition to dislodge them. At other times before settling they 

 would fly in a short jerking manner, somewhat after the fashion of the 

 long-tailed skippers (Eiidamus). At the Island of Tobago, in the bay 

 of Panama, the following April, another species, Pyrrhopyge Acastus, 

 Cram., was tolerably numerous, and I was so fortunate as to discover 

 its larva and pupa and bred the perfect insect. At the time I had no 

 idea what these larvje would produce, and certainly did not expect to 

 see a butterfly. What they fed on I cannot say, for they were full- 

 grown when found, and preparing to pupate between chinks of bark 

 on a trunk of a tree. They may have fed upon the leaves of the tree 

 itself, or, what is more likely, upon some of the surrounding low 

 herbage. The larva, which is soft and flabby to the touch, is clothed 

 with fine straw-coloured hairs, is somewhat cylindrical in shape, and 

 tapers towards each extremity ; head cordate, and very large in pro- 

 portion to the size of the larva, and of a brick-red ; general colour 

 reddish-brown, with well defined segmental rings of a deeper hue, and 

 narrow black, yellow, and reddish perpendicular lines on each segment; 

 under-surface, claspers, and prolegs light red. When full fed it spins 

 a loose network cocoon betw^een chinks of bark and therein turns to a 

 light-red pupa with many segmental black spots, and covered with 

 fine white down, and a purplish powdery bloom. The eyes are black 

 and very prominent. The butterflies emerge in about three or four 

 weeks. Another fine species, Pyrrhopyge Patrohas, Hew., was rare, and 

 difiicult to obtain in perfect condition, for they flew about so rapidly 

 among the brushwood that they soon became worn. 



H. M. S. " Espiegle," Simons Bay, Cape of Good Hope : 

 \Uh February, 1882. 



EupJectus bicolor, Sfc, on Cannock Chase. — -A few days since I found some half- 

 dozen specimens of Euplectus bicolor, in decaying birch logs on Cannock Chase. In 

 company with them occurred Euplectus nanus (Reich.), E. nigricans, ScydmcBnus 

 exilis, Ptinella testacea, P. aptera, P. angustula, Pteryx suturalis, Tetratomafun- 

 gorum, and Liodes humeralis. — W. Q-. Blatch, 214, Green Lane, Smallheath, 

 Birmingham : Hay \9,th, 1882. 



