54 



An Entomological Trip to South Brazil. 



By W. J. Kaye, P\E.S. Read December ?>th, 19 lo. 



We left Liverpool on January 27th with the thermometer registering 

 28° F. On the following morning, when off the Scilly Islands, the 

 temperature had risen to 42° F., but even at Lisbon, six days out, there 

 was still a suspicion of coolness in the air, and it was not till we 

 got to St. Vincent that we felt the hot glow of the sun. By the time 

 we reached Rio we had enough warmth and to spare. With the 

 thermometer at 86° F. on the shady side of the street, it was quite 

 warm enough on the sunny side for- the chilliest of mortals. We spent 

 the greater part of February i6th, the day of our arrival, in the town 

 of Rio, and towards evening went by the electric tramway to the 

 Internacional Hotel, some 800 ft. up on the Corcovado. Here we 

 spent a week in exploring the hill-sides, and occasionally went down 

 to the Botanical Gardens. 



Quite the feature of these gardens is the fine avenue of palms. 

 The trees are about 150 years old, and are a great height, with large 

 handsome trusses of foliage on top. Quite a number of small 

 epiphytal Bromelias have taken up their abode on the trunks of these 

 trees. About the only butterfly that interested us in the garden was 

 Papilio ascanius. Lepidoptera were decidedly scarce, but late one 

 afternoon we saw a fair number of this very fine and local butterfly. 

 The gardens are close to the sea, and are fringed with a swamp. 

 Here the larvae of P. ascaftms feed on a species of Aristolochia. 

 The butterflies during the day are very wary, and fly, as a rule, high 

 up amongst the trees fringing the swamps ; but towards evening they 

 fly lower, preparatory to taking up their resting quarters on the lower 

 branches of the trees. The gardens being at sea-level, and shut in 

 with high hills, butterfly collecting is very hot work. Night collecting 

 at the arc-light outside the hotel was of an exciting description. 

 The trouble, however, was that there were too many entomologists 

 present, as, amongst others, the manageress of the hotel was a keen 

 collector of moths. With a division of s{)oils, however, the result 

 was quite satisfactory. The species taken included Sphifigidce : 

 Protambulyx astygonus, CalUovwia nomius, Xyiophanes po?-cus, Calli- 

 omma thorates, and Hemeroplanes oniatus. SaiurfiiidcB : DysdcRvionia 

 pluto, Alicrattaciis iiaims. Cerafocattpidce : Adelocephala gucuida^ 

 Adelocephala iiivalida. Notodo?itidce : Petitobesa xylinozdes, Cnlle- 

 dema p/usia, Noioplusia clat-a, Rhuda endymion, and several fine 

 species of Cossida;, Megaiopygidce, Liniaccdidce, Thyrididce, Lasio- 

 cafnpidcs, and Psychida;. 



