102 Dr. G. B. Longstaff on 
the same, or nearly the same place. It settles on 
the ground, or on a low plant, nearly always turning 
its back to the sun, and often closing its wings over 
its back. I saw one settle at right angles to the 
sun, casting a broad shadow; but as there happened 
to be several objects close by casting similar shadows, 
it was not very conspicuous. Presently the same 
individual flew up and settled down again, this time 
on a bare piece of earth and with its back to the 
sun in the usual way. 
Another note, also relating to Sydenham, is :— 
P. clelia seen to settle, and then rapidly turn its back 
to the sun; it did not close its wings. P. clelia 
seen here seems always to turn its back to the 
sun. 
To Dr. Dixey’s description I would add that the wings 
are usually about three-fourths expanded, nearly as with 
Vanessa atalanta, L.,at home. One specimen was observed 
to settle with tail to the sun five consecutive times. It 
was only occasionally that I saw them close their wings 
over their backs, when the shadow was reduced to a 
minimum, but I did observe this several times, both in 
the neighbourhood of Durban and at the Victoria Falls. 
As a rule P. clelia seemed to pitch correctly, but now and 
then it was seen to adjust itself. 
Precis crebrene, Trim., is another common and widely- 
distributed South African butterfly. Though very dif- 
ferently coloured from /. clelia, it is nearly, though not 
quite, as conspicuous when the upper-side is displayed, but 
the almost uniformly clay-coloured under-side is scarcely 
distinguishable against certain back-grounds, such as sand, 
clay, or rock of a grey or yellow tint. It is fond of 
frequenting dry “spruits,” or watercourses, settling on the 
rocks or boulders, but in the Zambesi country Dr. Dixey 
often saw it settle in trees. It was repeatedly observed to 
orient itself fairly accurately, but did not appear to close 
its wings as often as P. clelia. A note made by me at 
Ladysmith, August 26th, says :— 
Oriented within about 10°-15°; settled often upon 
cliffs of yellow sand or mud on which it was 
moderately conspicuous. One specimen was re- 
peatedly observed to close its wings, its shadow 
was then near the minimum and the insect 
inconspicuous. 
