NYMPH ALIN^. 231 



of blue in the cellular striie, showed less divergence from Odavia. The larger 

 of the two, however, had the two upper spots of the discal row of fore-wing 

 as conspicuously white-centred as in Sesanius ; and also exhibited a very dark 

 under side, the basal half being very completely fuscous with a sharply-defined 

 and dentated outer limit, while the hind-marginal area had a distinctly bronzy 

 suffusion. 



Theseexceptional variations, together with those of Sesaimis already referred 

 to, acquired a special interest in the same year (1879), as Mr. Frank N". Streat- 

 feild, C.M.G., an experienced collector and observer of Lepidoptera, wrote to 

 me to announce that he had just captured at Ibeka, in the Trans-Ivei Territory, 

 Octavia and Amestris (Sesamiis) in copula. He wrote, " There was no mistake 

 about it ; I caught, killed, and pinned them in my box (with the intention of 

 sending them to you) still in copula. . . . Amestris was flying and Octavia 

 passive while the two paired butterflies were on the wing." The voracity of 

 the ants frequenting Mr. Streatfeild's hut unfortunately did not spare these 

 most interesting specimens, which were devoured the very night after their 

 capture. This testimony from so good an authority is of special value, as I 

 had not communicated my suspicions on the subject to Mr. Streatfeild, nor was 

 he at the time aware of my having any specimens pointing to intercourse 

 between the two species. It is only to such occasional unions, and to their 

 fertility, that the origin of the intermediate examples under notice can be 

 attributed. 



Localities of Precis Octavia. 



I. South Africa. 



D. Kaffraria Proper. — Bashee River (/. H. Bowker). Mouth of St. 



John's River {Sir H. Barldij). " Ibeka" {F. N. Streatfeild). 



E. Natal. 



a. Coast Districts. — Verulam. Umvoti. Mapumulo. 



h. Upper Districts. — Intzutze River. Little Noodsberg. Great 



Noodsberg. Udland's Mission Station. Port Buckingham. 



Hermansburg. Greytown. Pietermaritzburg {W. Hayes). Est- 



court {J. M. Hutchinson). Karkloof (/. H, Boivker). Van 



Reenen's Pass, Drakensberg (C. Hart). 

 K. Transvaal. — Lydenburg District (T. Ayres). 



II. Other African Regions. 



A. South Tropical. 



a. Western Coast. — "Angola (/. /. Monteiro)." — Druce. 

 h. Eastern Coast. — Zambesi River {Rev. H. Rowley). — Coll. Hope, 

 Oxon. [Austral form]. 



B. North Tropical. 



a. Western Coast. — Sierra Leone {A. N. Innes). 



h. Eastern Coast. — "Abyssinia: Shoa (Antinori)." — Oberthiir. 



72. (7.) Precis Sesamus, Trimen. 



Plate IV. fig. 3 ( ? ). 



Vanessa Amestris, Boisd., App. Voy. de Deleg., p. 592 (1847). 



„ „ Wallgrn., K. Sv. Vet.-Ak. Handl, 1857; Lep. Rhop. 



Cafi"r., p. 26 (1857). 

 Junonia Amestris, Dru. [part], Trim., Rhop. Afr. Aust., i. p. 132, n. 79(1862). 



Uxp. al., 2 in. 5 lin. — 2 in. 1 1 lin. 



Black, dusted with violaceoiis-Uue, and with hhie transverse hands; 

 a transverse hand of red spots near hind-margin. Fore-wing : thickly 



