128 SOUTH-AFEICAX BUTTERFLIES. 



broader, usually more or less dentate, extending to join apical blackish ; 

 instead of two crimson spots, an orange-ochreous broad hand, formed of 

 from tbree to five large spots, between second subcostal and submedian. 

 Under side. — Quite like that of $. 



Var. a. ^ and $. 



^ Blue much duller, inclining to violaceous ; black border nar- 

 rower, especially at posterior angle of fore-wing, and throughout in 

 hind-wing. Hind-wing : upper crimson-red spot obsolete, and the 

 others small and dull. 



^ Blue almost obsolete, only indicated by bluish-grey scaling over 

 a strong dull-fuscous suffusion from base. 



Under side in both sexes normal. 



Hah. — Delagoa Bay (J/rs. Monteiro). lu the Collection of Mr. H. 

 Grose Smith. 



Larva. — Dull-green, rather paler laterally ; a pale-reddish dorsal 

 median line. About 7 lines in length and 2 lines in width, across 

 middle of back. Anterior extremity blunt and rounded ; posterior 

 extremity tapering and terminating bifidly ; central portion very thick 

 and convex superiorly. 



(Described from a drawing by Captain H. C. Harford of a specimen 

 found near D'Urban, Natal, on 20th September 1868. The figures — 

 No. 8 on Plate I. — are from drawings of King William's Town speci- 

 mens by Mr. J. P. Mansel Weale.) 



Pupa. — Bright-green, paler on under side. Along median line of 

 back a row of five sub-rhomboidal, creamy, ferruginous-edged spots, 

 viz., one apart from the rest and more rounded on posterior part of 

 thorax, and four along abdomen ; on each side of abdomen a row of 

 three similar, smaller, rounded spots.-^ Length | inch ; width (greatest 

 across anterior part of abdomen) ^ inch. 



(Described from two specimens received alive from Miss F. Bowker, 

 of Pembroke, near King William's Town, in February 1873. A third 

 specimen had produced the imago en route, and I obtained perfect 

 butterflies from the two pupae described. The figure on Plate I. is 

 from a drawing by Captain Harford, who noted that the species remained 

 twenty-five days in the pupal state.) 



This lovely lolaus haunts wooded places, and, like most of the larger 

 Lycaenids, is fond of perching on leaves at the summit of some tall shrub, 

 thence taking short jerky flights, and returning often to the same seat, or 

 to one close to the first. I noticed in Natal that the brilliant w^hite of the 

 under side, which looks so extremely conspicuous in the cabinet, was really 

 protective to the insect when sitting among exceedingly glossy leaves in the 

 full sunshine. Colonel Bowker found that, on the Bashee River, the flowers 

 of mistletoe {Loranilms) were the favourite resort of this butterfly. I met 

 with Silas but sparingly during my visit to Natal in the months of February 



1 These spots are variable ; in one specimen the first, second, and third on back of 

 abdomen are large and contiguous, while in another they are small and widely separate. 

 In the latter, too, the lateral abdominal spots are altogether wanting. 



