NYMPHALID^. 165 



TMaghicCs chances of eluding the entomologist's advances are numerons. 

 lu April, when the lovely Lily, Nerlne Sarniensis, crimson sprinkled with 

 gold-dust, brightens the steep mountain-slopes, one has the best chance of 

 capturing the Meneris, as it is fond of settling on these flowers now and 

 then ; as well as on a deep-red species of Antholyza, that blossoms about 

 the same period. On rocks, also, the species occasionally rests ; and, at 

 Knysna and Plettenberg Bay (where this insect, though not common, 

 attains a larger size and richer colouring than near Cape Town), 1 found 

 that it frequented the steep, sandy banks of roads cut througli the summits 

 of the hills. In these latter haunts it would sit unnoticed till one passed 

 by, when it would suddenly dart out, and fly over the bank and down the 

 hill in an unpleasantly brusque manner. A gentleman resident at the 

 Knysna, whose duties carry him over a considerable extent of country 

 almost daily, was the first to bring to my notice this peculiar habit of Tul- 

 baghia, and the finest specimen in my collection is one of his captures. 

 The Larva of this species remains wholly unknown, and I have repeatedly 

 sought in vain for both it and the Pupa in the localities frequented by the 

 perfect insect. The former doubtless feeds on some alpine plant, to the 

 stems of which, or the sides of rocks, the chrysalis is most probably 

 attached. (Liune named the species in honour of Ryk van Tulbagb, 

 Governor of the Cape Colony under the Dutch (from 1751 to 1771 A.D.), 

 who must have made good use of his one eye, if he collected all tlie insects 

 of the Cape that he sent home to Europe. It is a pity, for the sake of 

 entomological science, that the good example of old liyk has not been more 

 extensively followed by his successors in the gubernatorial office, not to 

 mention the other inhabitants of the Colony.) 



Cape Town. Knysna. — Coll. mihi. 

 Graham's Town.— Coll. W. S. M. D' Urban.* 

 Cape Town.— Coll. S. A. Mus. 

 South Africa.— Coll. Brit. Mus. 



Genus NYMPHALIS. 



Nymphalis, Lair. 



Charaxes, Ochsenh. 



Eribcea, Hiihn. 

 Imago. — Head of moderate size, clothed with close, thick, 

 velvety-down : eyes large, smooth, very prominent ; paljn 

 thick, compact, ascendant, convergent at tips, rising con- 

 siderably above forehead, acute, scaly ; antennce rather short, 

 thick, straight, with a very gradually-formed, cylindrical club. 

 Thorax very robust and elongate, especially in $ , clothed 

 with short velvety down, haiiy posteriorly. IVings thick and 

 rigid, supported by very strong nervures. Fore-wings rather 

 broad, the apical portion more or less produced, in some 

 species angulating hind-margin ; costa gradually and mode- 

 rately arched from base ; apex very slightly rounded ; hind- 

 margin more or less emarginate in middle, but prominent 

 near and at anal angle, very lightly sinuate ; inner-margin 



* " Taken near Port Elizabeth, by Mr. Rickards."— D'Urban, in lift. 



