3i6 SOUTH- AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



^vas probably Ilottcntota, Latr. As fresh reference to Latreille's brief 

 description (of tlie upper side only) convinces me that he had before 

 him a specimen of the ochre-yellow suffused $, that form now properly 

 becomes typical of the species. 



Mr. Aurivillius {K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1882, xix. p. 125) has shown 

 much ground for the opinion that Niso, Linn. — of which he reproduces two 

 figures from Clerck's unpublished Icones'^ — is a Western 5 of this species. 

 But Linne's description is so absolutely inadequate for identification (treating 

 the insect as probably only a variety of the European Nisoniades Tages), and 

 Clerck's figures, except as regards the head and antennae, are so unlike the 

 butterfly concerned, that I cannot feel sufiicient certainty to warrant my adopt- 

 ing Mr. Aurivillius' conclusion. 



All the specimens I have taken about Cape Town, the few that have been 

 met with in the neighbouring "Western Districts, at Port Elizabeth, and near 

 Grahanistown, are of the typical form. Moschler {Verh. K.K. Zool.-Bot. 

 Gesellsch. Wien, 1883, p. 287) notes that at Baziya, in Ivaffraria Proper, the 

 $ sometimes exhibits the ochre-yellow ground-colour above ; and I have re- 

 ceived an intermediate example from the Bashee River. 



This is an active and pugnacious little species, with habits quite like those 

 of Pampliila Sylvanus and F. Comma in Europe, It haunts by preference 

 little holloAvs and kloofs in hillsides ; the $ often taking possession of some 

 tall flower in an open position, and darting at every insect which approaches 

 his perch. It is not common near Cape Town, but I took it numerously at 

 Knysna and in Natal, and commonly near Grahamstown. I have met with it 

 at various stations in South Africa from the end of September to tlie end of 

 March, and took it at D' Urban, Natal, on 3d August 1865. I captured the 

 paired sexes twice at Knysna, and on one occasion at INIapumulo in Natal ; 

 and Colonel Bowker sent me a pair taken in copidd at King William's Town. 

 Mr. W. S. M. D'Urban noted the butterfly as abundant in British Kaflfraria, 

 occurring from August to May. 



I noted a cj in a collection made on the Gold Coast in 1873 by Lieutenant 

 Bourke, R.N. 



Localities of Pamphila Hottcntota. 



I. South Africa. 

 B. Cape Colony, 



a. Western Districts. — Cape Town. Vogel Vley, Tulbagh District. 

 Palmiet River, Caledon District {T. D. Bidler). Knysna— 

 [Var. A.]. 

 h. Eastern Districts. — Port Elizabeth. Uitenhage {S. D. Bairstoic). 

 Grahamstown. King William's Town (/. H. Bowlicr). Hope 

 Town (/. H. Boivker). 

 c. Orange Free State. — Special locality not noted (C. Hart). 



D. Kalfraria Proper. — Bashee River (/. H. Bowker) — [Far. A. and 



intermed.]. Heads of St. John's River (J. H. Bowker). 



E. Natal. 



a. Coast Districts. — D'Urban, Yerulam, and Mapumulo — [Var. A.]. 



Pinetown (/. H. Bovker)—[Var. A.]. 

 h. Upper Districts. — Maritzburgand Greytown — [Var. A.]. Biggars- 



berg and Rurke's Drift (/. //. Bowker) — [Var. A.]. Estcourt 



(J. M. Ilutcliinson). 



^ Mr. Aurivillius wrote to me in 1S81, that although the types of Pap. Spio and Pap. 

 Niso, L., were unfortunately lost, he felt "quite certain that these" (Clerck's) "figures are 

 delineated after the true types of Linne." 



