176 SOUTH-AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



a denser or sparser flecking of ferruginous. Out of eleven ^ speci- 

 mens (all Soutli- African) now before me, only four have the apical 

 orange well developed ; four present only irregularly-disposed diff"used 

 orange- streaking; one has scarcely any trace of that colour; and the 

 remaining two are altogether without it. Usually the largest silvery 

 spot of the under side of the hind-wings and the two small ones adja- 

 cent to it are perceptible on the upper side. The development and 

 brilliancy of this large spot is very variable, — in some cases it is 

 obscured greatly by ferruginous clouding, and the other spots of the 

 discal row are very inconstant in size and shape, and in the brightness 

 of their silvery centre. 



M. Oberthiir's separation {op. cit.), as U. Trimcnii, of the small 

 KafFrarian $ figured in my Rlwpaloccra Africce Australis, cannot be 

 sustained.^ It is noticeable, however, that the under side of the small 

 individuals of both sexes is of a deeper yellow, with the flecking of the 

 hind-wings denser and pinker. I think it possible that this may be 

 the winter (dry-season) brood. I did not meet with any small speci- 

 mens during my summer visit, and the only similar example whose 

 month of capture is recorded is a $ taken in August 1878 by Colonel 

 Bowker. 



In upper-side colouring and pattern this brilliant butterfly has the aspect 

 of a magnified Teracolus Anxo (Lucas), but is of much more vivid and intense 

 yellow and orange in the ,$ . I found it pretty numerous on the coast of Katal 

 in January, Februarj', and April 1867, and had previously noticed a single 

 specimen mi the wing when calling at D'Urban on 23d June 1865. It is 

 exceedingly conspicuous in flight, but so swift as to be difficult to secure. 

 Fortunately it has the family taste for frequent sips of nectar, and nearly all 

 my specimens were made captive Avhile settling on the flowers of Vinca rosea. 

 Colonel Bowker sent me the paired sexes taken by him near D'Urban in March 

 1879 ; the large $ of this pair has no apical orange. The same observer found 

 the species common in Ivaffraria Proper ; it was noted as unusually numerous 

 all through the summer and autumn of 1862. 



Though well known to range widely through Eastern Africa, I have met 

 with no record of the occurrence of Leda on the western side, except in Mr. 

 Kirby's Catalogue of the Hewitson Collection, where Angola is given as a 

 locality in addition to Natal. 



Localities of Eronia Lcda. 



I. South Africa. 



D. Kaffraria Proper. — Bashee, Colossa, and Nabesa Rivers (/. H. 



BoivJier). 



E. Natal. 



a. Coast Districts. — " Lower Umkomazi."— J. II. P.owker. D'Urban. 

 Verulam. 



F. Zululand. — St. Lucia Bay (the late Colonel H. Tower). Etshowe 



{A. M. Goodrich). 



1 My friend's remark, "Jamais V Eronia Leda n'a de taches dans sa macule apicale 

 aurora," renders it clear that he was at the time unacquainted with the female of this 

 butterfly. 



