NOTES ON THE LEPIDOPTERA OF NATAL. 35 



black line along the posterior femora spreads out much broader 

 towards the knee, where it almost encircles the entire femur. The 

 posterior tarsi appear to me to be narrower. 



According to the new catalogue of Hymenoptera the present 

 species must be rather common in the Netherlands ; at all events 

 it has been taken in various localities. I am, however, not quite 

 sure that these statements are perfectly correct, as I find mentioned 

 three examples having one-half of the stigma white, which thus 

 clearly do not belong to this species, but probably to T. liv'ula. 

 The distinction between the two very nearly-allied species does 

 not always appear to me equally clear. According to Klug, 

 Hartig, Kaltenbach, and Kirchner, T. Colon occurs in Germany. 

 According to Thomson it is scarce in Sweden. I do not know 

 whether it is found in England, but it appears not to occur 

 in Scotland. I cannot find any notice of its occurrence or non- 

 occurrence in any of the other countries of (Europe. 



NOTES ON THE LEPIDOPTERA OF NATAL. 



By William D. Gooch, C.E. 



(Continued from p. 7.) 



NYMPHALIDiE (eontinued). 



In a previous part of this paper I spoke of the genus Neptls, 

 with one representative of which m}^ name is associated. It 

 is essentially a woodland genus, and found chiefly on the coast in 

 bush-lands. The two, Saclava and Goochii, are very delicate- 

 winged insects, almost rivalling Pontia Alcesta in this respect, 

 they are so fragile ; the more apparently so, that they are fond of 

 loitering about spots where Spanish needles grow, a weed with 

 long, sharp hook-pointed seed-cases which detach themselves 

 easily ; when striking for the insect a number of these " needles," 

 also known as " black Jacks," get into the net and ruin the wings. 

 The only larva of this class which I believe to have fallen to my 

 lot was a very singular one with many spines, those on the 4th 

 and 5th segments being very denclritic in character, and branch- 

 ing backwards. The imago on disclosure was so badly developed 

 that I could only proximately identify it as N. Saclava. 



A very abundant coast insect, which, properly speaking, 

 is closely allied to Charaxes, is Philognoma Varanes approxi- 



