( lxxxv ) 



you, as showing some effects on butterflies of the abnormally 



wot weather experienced out here since the middle of June 

 last. I am enclosing a monthly record of the rainfall. It 

 has varied a great deal in localities only a few miles apart, 

 as you will notice in the printed record for October, which 1 

 enclose. The four Acraea petraea, Boisd., which 1 took on 

 the Kith of June, just after a heavy fall of rain, show con- 

 siderable signs of melanism. The dry-season form-; had been 

 in evidence for some time before the rains fell, and although 

 there was the usual seasonal modification towards the dry 

 forms, none of them throughout the winter took on the 

 extreme dry phases. L went out the following and any 

 available week-end, bu1 after taking these four petraea found 

 no more in evidence for a month or two after. In fact, they 

 only began to come into evidence again in the full wet -season 

 form at their usual time of appearance. I have been dis- 

 appointed in not finding any extreme cases of melanism, 

 but I think this may be due to the unusual coolness of the' 

 season, due to protracted rains. .Moisture must be accom- 

 panied with heat to produce fullest results. 



" The tattered P. lyaeus, DM., covered with fungoid growth 

 1 found feebly flying through 1 he bush after heavy and pro- 

 tracted rains that fell in January 1917. I had a great chase 

 after it. for the orange growth upon it gave it the appearance 

 of being some strange exotic specie:. Tin- Pseudacraea 

 tarquinia, 'brim., has been mutilated by some enemy. 1 

 should infer thai it had been seized by one of the large A.gama 

 lizards which are very plentiful about our coast bush. The 

 pair in coitu may also interest you." 



The last-mentioned pair was a dry-season ,_," in ''"/'• with a 

 wot-;eason '.,.' of Bt/hlin i/nrl:iiis. 1 [.• i list . . taken Oct. Hi, l!)IG. 

 The tarquinia was an excellent example of symmetrical injury 

 to the hind-wings. Tin 1 orange powder plentifully covering 

 the under surface of tin' hind-wings of lyaeus was found to 

 be pollen by Dr. A. B. Rendle, K. U.S. The quantity was 

 very remarkable, and nothing like it had been seen by any 

 of the African naturalists to whom tin 1 specimen had been 

 shown. Dr. Eltringham had compared the petraea with the 

 Hope series from Natal, hut considered thai they did not 



