IV PREFACE. 



My thanks are due to W. C. HEWITSON, Esq., of Oat- 

 lands, Walton-on-Thames, for the kindness with which he 

 permitted me to carefully inspect his magnificent collection 

 of the Butterflies of the whole World. 



I must also express my grateful sense of the courtesy shown 

 me by F. M ASKEW, Esq., Librarian of the Cape Town 

 Public Library, in affording me free access to all entomologi- 

 cal works in the valuable collection in his keeping. 



To LUDWIG PAPPE, M. D., the Colonial Botanist, I am 

 likewise indebted for opportunity of reference to divers old 

 and rare books on Entomology, and also for the correct 

 nomenclature of several species of South African plants. 



The following gentlemen, residing in Southern Africa, have 

 materially aided me in the publication of this work, by kindly 

 using their influence to procure subscriptions to the same in 

 their several neighbourhoods : A. G. ATHERSTONE, Esq., 

 M. D., Graham's Town ; G. W. BROWNING, Esq., Res. 

 Mag., &c., Simon's Town ; J. FICHAT, Esq., Civil Commis., 

 Knysna; G. GREY, Esq., M. D., Cradock; W. S. M. 

 D'URBAN, Esq., and Rev. H. KITTON, M.A., King William's 

 Town ; L. TAATS, Esq., Swellendam. 



I am well aware of the many imperfections of this Catalogue ; 

 and, in offering it to the public, would remind naturalists and 

 those critically disposed, how impossible it is, in so little 

 worked a field as that of South African Entomology, to avoid 

 much that is faulty or extremely doubtful, and how very 

 limited is our knowledge of the lower animals inhabiting this 

 country. My earnest and diligent endeavour has been to bring 

 together all the South African species of Butterflies, carefully 

 to describe them, and to add all information that I could 

 gather concerning them, whether from the observations of 

 others, from entomological works, or from my personal ex- 

 perience. As the first step towards a more complete know- 

 ledge of a long-neglected branch of South African Zoology, 

 I trust that this contribution to Entomology will not be value- 

 less ; and that it may induce and aid many among us to 

 commence the collection and study of those exquisite forms 

 of beauty and symmetry, the "Butterflies of South Africa." 



ROLAND TRIMEN, 



Cape Town, 



9th August, 1861, 



