1868.] 217 



Your mucli-besnuffed Kafir here approaches, exhibiting with pride 

 a mangled assortment of captures, the majority of which consists of 

 Danais Chrysippus and D. EcJieria. As you clear the pins of most of 

 these useless specimens, you have the pleasure of acquiring a large 

 amount of a similar kind of yellow fluid to that so liberally bestowed 

 by the Acresa. The Kafir's pinches are no joke, as too many ruined 

 rarities have often convinced you ; but such is the elasticity of these 

 Vanaidce that nearly all of them, on the withdrawal of the retaining 

 pins, flag ofi" in a noncJialanf manner as if nothing had befallen them, 

 and the remainder only appear rather stupified. The Zulu now indi- 

 cating that there is something to be seen close by, you follow hitn to an 

 inlet of the open, where there is a large thorny bush covered with 

 sweet-scented white flowers. And the flowers are covered with insects 

 of all orders. Strong Getoniidce jostle aside the slender Qallichromce ; 

 flower-like Mantidcs have not long to wait for their prey ; in imitation 

 of these the Neuropterous Mantispa lifts its long arms ; and black-and- 

 red BeduvicB, of malignant aspect, lurk for victims among the corollas. 

 Above the bush, now hovering, now settling, are swarms of Lepidoptera 

 and JDiptera, most of them eager for nectar, and through the crowd 

 there ever and anon bursts a great heavy Xylocopa with her angry 

 buzz. The broad, painted wings of the Lepidoptera, apart from their 

 reckless activity, of course render them the most conspicuous members 

 of this assemblage. It is evidently here that the Zulu has taken his 

 Danais Echeria, for that butterfly abounds on and about the flowers. 

 Catch a few specimens ; you find them behave precisely as the Acrcea 

 did. Try another, that floats above you, just within reach. How 

 active this fellow is ; he won't " sham dead" in the least. And surely 

 he is much stouter about the thorax ; besides, what a big head and 

 palpi ! Why, it's a Diadema — and not a Danais at all ! ! Yes, turn it 

 over as much as you please, you can't make anything else of it ; and 

 yet you could have taken your oath it was an Echeria. After this dis- 

 covery, you keep on catching the Danais, and make your Kafir do the 

 same, in the hope of getting others of the delusive Diadema ; but your 

 combined efi'orts are in vain, and you begin to understand that you 

 have taken a rarity. 



After filling almost all your boxes from this favoured spot, a tre- 

 mendous chorus of Gicadcd attracts you towards a neighbouring Acacia. 

 When you are close to the trunk, the sharp ring of the insects' note 

 makes you certain that these musicians are sitting just before your 

 eyes, but, for the life of you, you can't see them. At length, when 



