1886.] RHOPAI.OCERA FROM THK SOLOMON ISLANDS. 315 



disappeared, and a few were noticed flying high among the branches 

 and quite out of reach. This was very taiitahzing, and we must 

 have walked nearly two miles before the first was captured. This was 

 Drusilla pliorcas, Westw., a low-flying but most conspicuous black- 

 and-white species. Species of Danais and Euplcea were the next to 

 appear ; and then, whenever we passed any open spots, Lycenidse 

 of various kinds became rather numerous ; but altogether Butterflies 

 could not be called abundant in this shady forest. A great many 

 more were seen than captured, for every now and then a large Papilio 

 dashed across the path, and was lost in the forest before one had time 

 to make a stroke at it. Overhead cockatoos and parrots were 

 screaming, and pigeons and doves cooing among the branches ; but 

 the trees were so lofty, and the leaves so thick, that it was almost 

 impossible to see them, and only one of the latter was obtained. 



Upon nearing the village, about noon, our guides set up a great 

 shouting to apprise the inhabitants of our approach, and upon 

 entering it we were surrounded by a crowd of naked savages, who 

 seemed to be very pleased to see us. We walked through the village 

 and examined the various huts, which were very well constructed, and 

 were much better built than those we had previously met with at the 

 New Hebrides. After seeing all there was to be seen, we sat down 

 in the shade of one of the huts and discussed our lunch, the natives 

 boiling our solitary pigeon and some yams which they gave us, and 

 very good they were. 



After lunch I strolled about the clearings near the village, followed 

 by a crowd of natives, who were much interested in my proceedings, 

 and soon began to take an active part iu the sport, and it was 

 amusing to see them running madly after Butterflies with small 

 bushes in their hands, with which they made frantic eff'orts to knock 

 them down. Of course they very often succeeded, for they were 

 extremely nimble, and then the broken fragments were brought to 

 me in triumph, and I had to pretend to be much pleased. Butter- 

 flies were fairly numerous iu these clearings, and 1 captured among 

 others several of the fine Papilio erskinei described further on. After 

 the others had had an hour's rest, we started back and got on board 

 again about six o'clock, pretty tired with our day's excursion, for in 

 some places it was most fatiguing, especially up-hill, where the path 

 frequently took us over slippery soap-stones, which made walking 

 very difficult and unpleasant. 



We left Ugi the following day, and after stopping for a few hours 

 off Tesemboko in the island of Guadalcanar, proceeded to the Duke 

 of York Islands. 



Our next visit to the Solomon Islands was in September 1883, 

 when we stayed for three days in Blanche Harbour, Treasury Island, 

 at the entrance of the Bougainville Straits. The harbour is a very 

 beautiful one, being almost landlocked by other small islands, all of 

 wiiich are hilly and densely wooded. Unfortunately it rained 

 nearly the whole time we were there ; but during the intervals of fine 

 weather, when I was able to get on shore, I could not go very far, as 

 I was only just recovering from a severe attack of fever, and was too 



Proc. Zool. Sue— 188G, No. XXI II. 2.'i 



