knoion forms of South African Butterflies. 241 



Variety.' — ^ . Differs fromtype-fonn inthe greatreduction or almost 

 entire sup'pression of the ochreous-f\iscous clondiiig over basal areas, 

 especially as regards hind- wing. Under-side. — Whitish suffusion 

 above costal nervure of fore-wing, and over base and upper median 

 area of hind-wing much fainter. 



5 . Basal areas free from clotiding, and hut slightly paler orange- 

 yellow than rest of groimd-colour ; costal-apical patch smaller, not 

 extending base-ioard ; sometimes ill-defined or even obsolescent ; inner 

 edge of hind-marginal border more or less strongly dentated or 

 pierced by rays of the ground-colour (rarely extending to hind- 

 margin itself). Hind-wing: costal-apical patch very variable, often 

 much reduced, and sometimes obsolescent. 



In this form the ^, though variable in size, varies but 

 very little in the dark costal and hind-marginal borders ; 

 bat the ^, on the conti-ary, presents very slight variation 

 in size, while the dark markings range from development 

 scarcely less than in the ^ to all but entire suppression. 

 The extreme in this direction is reached by two ^ $ taken 

 at Kimberley by Mr. Feltham, in 1887 and 1891 respect- 

 ively, where the dark markings are represented solely by 

 a series of small inter-nervular spots (party obsolete in 

 hind-wings), and in the fore-wing by a very limited cluster 

 of fuscous scales just before apex, and by another just 

 above and before posterior angle. Examples almost as 

 devoid of dark markings as these are a $ from Kimberley 

 in the collection of Mr. H. Grose Smith, and another taken 

 at Springbokfontein, Namaqualand, by Mi-. R. M. Light- 

 foot, in October 1890. 



The distribution of this Zeritis seems to be mainly in the 

 dry upland regions of South Africa. The type-form was 

 taken by Mr. A. W. Eriksson in North-Eastern Damara- 

 land (Omaramba-Oamatako), while the slight variety here 

 noted has been met with in northern Cape Colony from 

 west to east, vid. : by myself at Komaggas, Namaqualand, 

 in 1873, and by Mr. R. M. Lightfoot in seven difterent 

 localities in Namaqualand during 1890 ; by the late Col. 

 Bowker, myself, and Mr. Feltham on the Vaal River and 

 at Kimberley, at different dates; Pella, on the Orange 

 River, in ] 894 by Mr. G. Alston ; and between Somerset 

 East and Murraysburg, also by the late Col. Bowker. At 

 the same time the receipt of a ^ taken by the late Mrs. 

 Monteiro at Delagoa Bay shows that the species in 

 suitable localities extends to the coast-line. 



