1904] /NSECTS. 



TI5 



emerged specimen of Rothschildia splendetis. On the lower lands I found Colaenis 

 Julia, Callidryas eubule^ Agraulis vanillae, Eurema lisa, E. elathea, E. albula, Euda- 

 mns protens and others of that group, various Lycaenas (including Hemiargus 

 hanno) and a number of skippers common. Poiitia monuste and Anosia plexippus 

 occurred, but were not abundant; Anartia jatrophae was common about Kings- 

 town, Jimonia coenia was numerous in all the hotter and more desolate districts, 

 and I saw three specimens of Hypolimnas missippus, one (a female) on November 

 6th, 1903, another (also a female; on November 9th, and a male on November 

 loth. The first was on Kingstown Hill, and the other two in the Botanic Garden. 

 This insect is rather rare on St. Vincent : the protective coloration of the female is 

 here of not the slightest use, as there is no other butterfly anything like it, and this 

 may account for its not gaining a foothold in these islands. 



On October 2nd, 1903, I ascended the Soufriere, which very recently (1902- 

 1903) has been in active eruption. The vegetation on the volcano, and all about 

 it, in fact over almost the entire northern third of the island, has been entirely 

 destroyed, the district now being merely a desert of light brown ash and scoria. 

 About the base and up the sides of the mountain the " Guinea grass " has begun 

 to grow again, and farther down there are large numbers of castor oil plants. 

 x\bout one fourth of the way up from the leeward side there is a patch of bananas, 

 and by the side of it a patch of sugar cane which have come up through the thick 

 covering of ejecta, and mark the site of what was once somebody's garden. They 

 are quite conspicuous, being the only signs of plants of any size on that part of the 

 mountain. 



As one looks from the crater of the volcano down on the devastated Carib 

 country toward Georgetown, the thin covering of Guinea grass gives the landscape 

 a fresh, green appearance, and it is hard to vealize that not long ago in this very 

 district two thousand lives were lost by an outburst from this mountain. Some 

 mosses and an occasional fern may be found now in sheltered spots inside of the 

 "new crater " which broke out in eruption in 1812. 



Insects of various kinds are very common all the way to the summit, being ren- 

 dered especially conspicuous by the lack of vegetation. Of butterflies, Vanessa 

 cardiii was almost the only kind seen, but this was very abundant, collecting on 

 the bits of chewed sugar cane and slivers of cane rind thrown down by the porters 

 of parties which had recently made the ascent. These butterflies were found even 

 on the rim of the crater; and their occurrence was particularly noticeable, as 1 

 have never seen the species at any other point on St. Vincent, nor on any other of 

 the West India Islands (including Trinidad) although very likely it is found occa- 

 sionally. I never saw it in Venezuela, although in parts of that country the condi- 

 tions are somewhat like those existing to-day in the northern part of St. Vincent. 



