418 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on 



are a conspicuous object as it sits sunning itself on plants 

 or stones. But it is very wary and difficult of approach, 

 being kept on the alert by its enemies, the lizards. I 

 have often watched these little reptiles stalking both 

 natalensis and pelasgis round the stones, and have seen 

 them capture and eat both .species." 



"Salisbury, March G, 1898. — You will be pleased to 

 learn that within another few Aveeks I hope to have been 

 able to have solved the nakilensis-scsanius question. 

 Three weeks ago I obtained five eggs from a female of 

 typical natalensis ; two proved infertile, one young larva 

 I lost, but the remaining two are thriving and growing 

 splendidly. Later on I got three more egg^, which 

 have hatched successfully. To-day I took one more, 

 and also, which pleased me much, an egg of typical Precis 

 siniia, which I am convinced is the wet-season form of 

 P. cuama (Hew.), in spite of Butler's remarks. The 

 natalensis question I am all the more anxious to settle, as 

 I have now strong collector's evidence against me, viz. 

 Distant, who records that he only took one natalensis at 

 Pretoria, whereas sesamus was abundant and occurred all 

 through the wet season." 



"Salisbury, June 5, 1898. — You will be glad to learn that 

 I have at last proved the identity of P. sesamus and natal- 

 ensis by breeding the former from eggs laid by the latter 

 in three instances, and I send you the parent and offspring 

 in two of the cases, the third I am sending to the British 

 Museum. You may imagine my delight on seeing the first 

 specimen emerge, for though I felt convinced that the result 

 would be as I anticipated, yet Distant's remarks raised 

 a haunting fear that perhaps I had made a big mistake 

 after all. However, I am glad to say this was not so." 



C. The Demonstration by GuY A. K. Marshall that 

 Precis simia is the Wet Phase of P. antilope. 



Only a few weeks ago Mr. Marshall obtained this further 

 proof of the soundness of the conclusions he reached, and 

 the validity of the evidence he adduced in 1890. A 

 female specimen of ]\ simia was tracked while she laid nine 

 eggs, on Feb. 23, 1902, at Salisbury. The butterfly was 

 then captured, and is represented on Plate XII, fig. 3, 

 and the under-side on Plate XIII, fig. 4. Offspring of 



