56 



the forest much more than the other SyntoinidiV we took in the same 

 district. 



For those who want them there are a large number of orchids to 

 be obtained in the surrounding hills, or in the swampy places along 

 the coast. I gathered Onciditim sarcodes, Cattkya leopoldi and 

 C. intermedia, JSIiltonia regnelli, AT. spectabilis, and other less 

 known species. Although we were not favoured with a good night 

 at the electric lights, we learned that sometimes the hotel was 

 besieged with moths. It is true that on one of the nights we were 

 there it was impossible to hope for anything in a deluge of rain. Mr. 

 Dukinfield Jones, just before he left for home in May, took some 

 exceedingly fine species at the lights, including the wonderful 

 Amaxia chaon. But wiiat we lost at light at Guaruja we made up 

 for later on at the Alto da Serra. 



We left on March 2nd, crossed over to Santos, and took the train 

 to the station on the summit of the Serra, called Alto da Serra. 

 Here we were most kindly put up by the Superintendent of the 

 Serra section of the line, Mr. Van Haut. Our new centre was 2600 

 feet above the sea, and was surrounded with an amphitheatre of 

 hills covered with virgin forest. The station and yard are lit with arc 

 lights, and the sight of those lamps on the first evening of our visit, 

 I think, neither Mr. Jones nor I shall ever forget. Moths were flying 

 round the lamps in countless thousands. A small Pyralid, Sylepta 

 pactolalis, formed a large proportion of the huge swarms, but there 

 were representatives, sometimes m numbers, of most of the families 

 of the Heterocera. We secured many fine Sphingidce, including 

 Hyloicus justitice, Xylophanes xylobotes, Calliomma nomius, Xylopha?ies 

 schausi, Xylophanes titana, etc. 



Notodontidm : Including Farigia musat-a, Hapigia snierinthoides, 

 and CJiliara croesus. 



NoctuidcB : Including Falindia ilyrias, Paliudia micca, Calydia 

 vietalligora, Ophide?-es colu/iilu/ia, Letis specuiaris, and the giant 

 Erebus strix. 



Arctiadce : Automolis reducta, Melese peruviana., Elysius superba, 

 and Psychophasma erosia. 



Geo7netrid(Z : Including Meticulodes spongiata, Oxydia ombrosa,BIech- 

 roma parcipuncta, and very many others. I made my first acquaint- 

 ance with the very abnormal Pyralid, Myelobius murina, which has 

 the build of a stout Sphingid, and measures five inches across the 

 expanded wings. It was sometimes quite a nuisance, flopping about 

 amongst the rarer and more delicate species. 



During the day we worked chiefly along the Mogy das Cruzes 

 road. We saw Papilio dardanus, but could not often get near it. 

 Mr. Jones took one female only. Large numbers of Syntotnidic 

 were again in evidence, this time frequenting a species of Ager- 

 aium with white blossoms. The most conspicuous and beautiful 

 species were Coreura atavia and Agyrta dux, which were quite 

 common. Neither of us took the former species for a Syntomid at 



