THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 203 



Entomological Notes from South Australia. 

 By H. Ramsay Cox, Esq. 



When I sailed for South Australia in the autumn of 1869, 

 I was in hopes that by devoting all my time to Entomology I 

 should be rewarded by some fine butterflies, notwithstanding 

 the advice of many friends, that " no butterflies in South 

 Australia were worth going for." 1 have worked hard all the 

 time, and dear experience has proved my friends' advice to 

 be correct, and that my sanguine hopes were not to be 

 realized. So many times in England collectors have spoken 

 most disparagingly of various localities, which, when well 

 worked by me, have yielded many good species, but the case 

 of South Australia is sadly different. 



During my stay there I only observed sixteen or seventeen 

 different species. Of those occurring in Europe, Danais 

 Chrysippus was pretty common (when I first landed) in the 

 streets of Adelaide, also in the suburbs, and as far as fifteen 

 miles up the country. My nets, &c., being still on board the 

 "Collingrove," I could only capture two or three poor speci- 

 mens ; feeling confident of seeing it the following season, 

 this did not much trouble me. Imagine my disappointment 

 at only seeing one specimen during the whole of that next 

 season, although I rode many hundred miles in search of 

 Chrysippus. Fortunately, on the homeward route, we put in 

 at St. Helena, where we found it in profusion, and of course 

 made the best use of the few hours we were allowed ashore 

 in the way of capturing a few specimens. These were all 

 larger than the South Australian ones, and darker in colour. 

 The herbage of the island consists chiefly of cactus, which 

 grow by thousands: it is on these that Chrysippus delights 

 to sport, making their capture very often painful, on account 

 of the spiteful thorns with which the plants are covered. P. 

 Cardui (smaller than the English type) and Lampides Boetica 

 were abundant; the latter, especially, in lanes, near Napo- 

 leon's tomb. These, and one other species I missed, being 

 all the butterflies I saw, it being early winter when we were 

 on the island. 



But to return to Australia. P. Cardui was abundant every- 

 where : in fact, after hybernation, it becomes as great a pest 

 to the collector as Camptograrauia bilineata is in England. 



