172 SOUTH-AFEICAN BUTTEEFLIES. 



This is the southern form of A. Serena, Fab., and perhaps not 

 sufficiently distinct to rank as a separate species, either from it or from 

 A. Manjaca, Boisd., the Madagascar representative. From the West- 

 African insect, A. Buxtoni is in both sexes to be distinguished by the 

 shortness and incompleteness of the oblique subapical black bar of the 

 fore-wing, which in Serena is almost invariably broader and united to 

 the hind-marginal black border. In the ^ this distinction is very 

 marked, particularly in the " Form h " (upon which Mr. Butler chiefly 

 characterised Buxtoni), in which the subapical white — a strictly limited 

 and enclosed bar in Serena — is diffusedly extended in the outer discal 

 region. In Natal this peculiar form of $ is more prevalent than that 

 which nearly resembles the ^. In the ^ Serena the hind-marginal 

 border is broader than in the ^ Buxtoni, and the enclosed spots larger, 

 and almost invariably very well defined ; while in both sexes the inner 

 festooned line on the under side of hind- wing, described above as 

 peculiar to " Form h " of ^ Buxtoni, appears to be always present. 



Judging from Boisduval's figures (op. cit.), A. Manjaca would 

 appear to be even nearer to Biixtoni than Serena is, the subapical bar 

 in the ^, though complete, being very slender, and in the ^ quite as 

 imperfect as in the " Form 6 " above described. The $ figured by 

 Boisduval seems, indeed, very close to the latter, the fore-wing being 

 even more transparent and almost colourless. Both sexes are repre- 

 sented as smaller than either the West-African or South- African form. 



Larva. — Dull green. A whitish stripe along each side of the 

 back, interrupted on each segmental incision by a transverse line 

 darker than the ground-colour. Spines of the dorsal and upper lateral 

 rows black; of the lower lateral row on each side yellow. The two 

 dorsal black spines on segment next head longer and more distinctly 

 branched than the rest, and projecting forward beyond the head, which 

 is ochreous. 



(Described from a drawing by Mr. H. 0. Harford, giving a dorsal 

 view.) 



The food-plant is stated to be a species of Hermannia. 



Pupa. — Pale-yellowish. Outline of wings and nervures very finely 

 black ; some thin and ill-defined dorso-thoracic black marks ; on each 

 side of abdomen a subdorsal and a lateral row of yellow spots in black 

 rings, the latter being thinner in the lateral than in the subdorsal row. 

 Attached to a slender stalk. 



(Described from a figure by ]\Ir. H. C. Harford, giving a lateral 

 view.) 



A. Buxtuni is a common species on the coasts of N'atal, where I observed it 

 from January to April 1867. Going inland it became scarcer; but I met with 

 occasional individuals as far as Greytown. It is a very weak flyer, even for an 

 Acrcea, and is most easily captured. The outskirts of woods are its favourite 

 haunt. I once met with two ordinary males and a dark specimen of the $ 

 " Form h " flitting about together in the same spot. Colonel Bowker sent me 



