42, THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST 
arrived in Brazil. I saw hundreds of interesting and important 
things that the average Brazilian, who has lived among them 
always, ‘never saw’. Brazil, as you know, is noted for its mag- 
nificent butterflies and gigantic insects of various orders. Some 
of the unusual insects are credited with being extremely ven- 
omous. I was told of one insect so venomous that if it lights 
on the trunk of a tree, the tree dies from the effects. Entomolo- 
gists, being extremely innocent, capture these insects with im- 
punity. The thing I want to tell you about today is the Scolding 
Butterfly, Ageronia feronia, L. 
My friends in Florida will naturally think that I have gone 
“louco” with the heat. But remember that in Brazil we are now 
in mid winter, and some mornings the weather is dreadfully 
cold (7). At least my Brazilian friends say that it is. And the 
Centigrade thermometer says that the temperature is Some seven 
or eight degrees above zero. Now what I was going to tell you 
about is the butterfiy that has a voice. I am’sending you a pho- 
tograph that represents her sitting on a palm tree. I know that 
it is a female which does the talking because the voice is high 
keyed and staccato. A male never could get up so much energy. 
The scolding is done probably with organs similar to those 
used by crickets or katydids. The sound is not quite as strong 
as that of the big katydids nor of the big black cricket. Organs 
similar to those possessed by these insects are located near the 
base of the wings. They make this snapping noise only when on 
the wing. Sometimes they scold their mate and sometimes they 
scold the entomologist who is passing by. 
Another peculiarity of this species is that it looks very much 
like the lichens that inhabit tree trunks. The photograph I en- 
close you brings out this peculiarity very strikingly. 
Now if there is any entomologist present who doubts the © 
correctness of these observations, let him look up Holland and 
also Sharp, who likewise became affected with the Brazilian 
heat. 
Very truly yours, 
(Signed) P. H. ROLFs. 
Vicosa, E. F. Leopoldina, 
Minas Geraes, Brazil. 
July eZee: 
