1868.] MR. A. G. BUTLER ON NEW OR RARE LEPIDOPTERA. 223 



that its truest position will be next to Euryphene samis of Hewitson. 

 The specimen is kindly lent to me for description by Mr. Andrew 

 Swanzy, of Lee, after whom I have named the species. 



Genus Zeritis, Westwood (1852). 

 Zeritis thysbe, Linn., aberration. (PI. XVIL fig. 5.) 



Alls supra fundo basali cofvuleo nitidissimo et post alarum medium 

 extenso, colorem discalem aurantiacum expungente ; margine ex- 

 terna late nigro, cceruleo partim tincto, et a lunulis aurantiacis 

 lilacino tinctis intus limitato : alls subtus velut in Thysbe {forma 

 communis) . 



Hab. PlattekHp, Table Mountain {Coll. Trimen). 



This singular and very beautiful variety of Z. thysbe is in the Col- 

 lection of Mr. Roland Trimen, who in the Appendix to the second 

 volume of his ' Rhopalocera Africse Australis ' makes the follow- 

 ing observations respecting it : — " Herr Gross has shown me an ex- 

 traordinary variety or ' sport ' of the S of that form {thysbe), 

 which he captured near Platteklip, on the ascent of Table Mountain. 

 In the last-named specimen the blue svffusion is of unusual bril- 

 liancy and extent, completely obliterating all the orange of fore 

 wing as well as the spots, but leaving a very broad apical and 

 narrow hind-marginal black border, edged outwardly by the usual 

 small orange lunules ; while in the hind iving the blue extends to 

 beyond middle, but leaves a broad orange border of even width 

 along hind margin : the markings of the under surface, how- 

 ever, remain as usual, but are strongly defined ; the fore wings 

 are acutely angulated, and the projections of hind wings unusually 

 long. 



" The beauty of Herr Gross's specimen is most striking, far ex- 

 ceeding that of the most perfect of ordinary examples." 



Mr. Trimen afterwards obtained this specimen at a sale, and has 

 kindly lent it to me to figure. He informs me that there is another, 

 similar but somewhat larger, specimen of this aberration in the 

 Burchell Collection (Hope Museum), taken, however, at Gena- 

 dendal (Cape Colony) in the year 1815. 



Genus Messaga, Walker (1854). 



In his ' Lepidoptera Heterocera,' pt. 2. p. 358, Mr. Walker has 

 characterized a genus under the above name, the type of which is 

 the Hesparia of Cramer (Pap. Exot. vol. i. pi. 56. fig. C). Mr. 

 Swanzy having lent me a second species, I referred to the spe- 

 cimens in the National Collection, and found three species repre- 

 senting Hesparia : the specimens, however, representing two of the 

 above species want the abdomen, which appears to be a strong cha- 

 racter for at once distinguishing them ; so that it was natural that 

 they should have been looked upon as merely varieties of one 

 type. 



