f 
Reprinted from “The Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine,’ 2nd Series, Vol. xix. 
1908.] 1 5 69 
A FORTNIGHT’S WINTER COLLECTING IN VENEZUELA. 
BY G. B. LONGSTAFF, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P, F.E.S. 
On December 20th, 1906, the R.M.S. “ Tagus,” bound to Jamaica, 
touched at La Guaira, a place that Charles Kingsley has immortalized 
in his great romance. Owing to the formalities of the Venezuelan 
officials we could not land till the afternoon was far advanced. The 
“Aden of the Caribbean Sea” proved less hot than we had been led 
to expect, for a mantle of heavy clouds came far down the mountains 
that almost seem to overhang the town. A push was made to the 
most promising spur, a little to the west, where a fair number of 
butterflies were seen, though few were taken. The extremely steep 
slopes appeared to consist of bright red clay scantily clothed with~ 
small bushes, amongst which a species of Oistus predominated. 
Pursuit was almost out of the question, and one’s operations were 
not facilitated by the well-meant attentions of some small Indian 
boys. 
On examination at home my captures proved to be Ithomia 
iphianassa, Dbl. and Hew.; <Ageronia ferentina, Godt., and Tmolus 
cambes, Godm. and 8., one of each. Of the last named Mr. H. H. 
Druce informs me that the type came from Mexico, and that it has 
not previously been recorded south of Guatemala. There were also 
a worn specimen of Sphenogona gratiosa, Dbl. and H., two of TLerias 
albula, Cram. (one of them having the black border of the hind-wing 
unusually pronounced), and two of the Skipper, Heliopetes laviana, 
Hew. With these Butterflies were a very few insects of other 
Orders. 
I landed on the Venezuelan shore for the second time March 17th, 
1907, but on this cecasion the whole afternoon was spent in struggling 
with the authorities of the port, so that it was necessary to spend 
a night at La Guaira. The next day a halt at Zigzag Station, about 
1500 ft. up the railway to the Capital, enabled me to sample the 
insect fauna. Butterflies were very plentiful, and I ran back to the 
railway carriage with specimens of <Actinote anteas, Dbl. and H.; 
Luptychia phares, Godt., a species that I did not see again ; Phyciodes 
leucodesma, Veld.; Terias albula, Cram., and Hesperia syrichthus, 
Fabr., together with sundry wasps, bugs, and grasshoppers. 
The railway after many terror-inspiring twists gains access to 
the capital by a gap in the mountains on its western side. 
Caracas stands at a mean altitude of 3200 ft. above the sea in 
North Lat. 10° 30’. The city is beautifully situated on a plateau 
sloping southwards to the Rio Guaire; this plateau is open to the 
East towards Petare, closed to the West by the Observatory Hill 
some three hundred feet above the plain ; on the South it is bounded 
