NOTES ON THE LEPIDOPTEltA OF NATAL. 7 



state of delightful bewilderment. It would be an impossible task 

 to name the species, as no one in Natal knows the name of our 

 small moths ; but amongst the thousand species of moths I have 

 secured are innumerable tigers, leopards, satins, Snturnias, 

 Drepamdce, buff and chocolate tips, Notodontas, a pretty Epionc 

 resembling Vespertaria, thorns, waves, Boarmias, Eujnthecias, 

 carpets, and Noctiue galore. After a favourable night's work the 

 room presented a strange appearance : some hundreds of moths 

 would be sticking about on the walls, ceiling, and windows ; 

 whilst beetles and Orthoptera would be in almost equal plenty. 

 The largest species of moths would expand about six inches, but 

 these species are best obtained by breeding. Actias Mimosa, a 

 lovely apple-green moth, is easily found in the chrysalis state in 

 December on branches ; they emerge in January, but a few 

 remain over until September. Many other large species, 

 expanding from four to six inches, are found in the larval state 

 on Mimosa, cabbage and Kafir boom-trees, and are as attractive 

 to the natives as to entomologists, since I found my Kafir servants 

 were in the habit of appropriating these larvae from the breeding- 

 cages for the purpose of eating them. 



Mr. Gooch also hastily assumes that my "big bush," near 

 the coast, is the one in which he was in the habit of collecting, 

 viz. at Avoca, eight miles from Durban. I should be more than 

 surprised to hear of the occurrence of leopards in that district, 

 since it is comparatively thickly populated with Kafirs and 

 Coolies. In the large woods on the coast, going towards Zulu- 

 land, they occur ; and also at the Inanda, where my friend 

 Mr. Wood, a great botanist, has just poisoned an extraordinarily 

 large one, which was in the habit of prowling round his domicile 

 by night. 



Mr. Gooch also assumes that I have passed over Pseudacrcea 

 Boisduvalii and Tarquinia for Acnea Zetcs and Aganice re- 

 spectively. The omission of these from my paper was purely 

 accidental, as they are by no means uncommon on this part of 

 the coast. P. Boisduvalii is certainly very like A. Zetes on the 

 wing ; but I cannot agree with Mr. Gooch that it is impossible 

 to distinguish them apart. Certainly I never had the least 

 difficulty. P. Boisduvalii is not only the larger, but is far the 

 brighter coloured ; and its flight is not exactly like A . Zetes, 

 being an easy floating movement, unless struck at and missed, 



