ANTS AND BUTTERFLIES. 201 



very difficult to preserve any butterflies or moths, for if 

 allowed the slightest chance they soon devour their 

 bodies. There are numerous varieties of ants, both in 

 colour and size. The black are by far the biggest, and 

 their chief occupation in life appears to be, though a 

 hopeless one, to keep down the surplus population of their 

 white relations, and they make war upon them accord- 

 ingly. There are some beautiful butterflies, though few 

 in number, especially a very large one with speckled 

 body and variegated brown wings, and another of a very 

 brilliant yellow colour. The most common is a small 

 white butterfly with a red tip to the wing. To catch 

 them, of whatever kind they may be, requires the prac- 

 tised skill of an entomologist, and even he would require 

 the patience of Job, for they have an aggravating habit 

 of flying close to you amongst the mimosas, where, if you 

 are foolish enough to try to catch one with a net, you 

 not only meet with signal failure, but also have your net 

 caught by a thousand thorns ; and whilst you are pleas- 

 antly engaged releasing one portion of it, another pro- 

 bably gets more entangled. Still, like the animals and 

 birds, they have their time for visiting the river to drink, and 

 about noon they may generally be seen going through 

 this performance. Now is the time for the skilled man 

 of the net to catch his game in its hurried flight to and 

 from the river ; but he indeed must be an enthusiast who 

 will wait under a scorching- sun for the visit of a butter- 



