4 MR. S. A. NEAVE OST BUTTERFLIES [Jan. 18, 



Acrcea mirijica Lathy, recorded hereafter, frequents a special form 

 of open country in the shape of marshes. Among the most 

 interesting collecting grounds for the entomologist or naturalist 

 are the patches of dense crowded forest trees, locally called 

 " Msitu." These patches are of varying size, often very small, 

 and are generally on the bank or source of a stream. They are 

 seldom or never affected by the annual bush fires and are conse- 

 quently the resort throughout the year of innumerable insects, 

 many of which are peculiar to these spots. In Katanga, especially 

 towards the west, even on fairly high ground, these forest patches 

 are the home of several characteristically western genera, but 

 this is hardly the case in those nearer the watershed, especially 

 towards the east. 



(3) Our third area comprises the low-lying river valleys of the 

 Congo basin." The banks of these rivers, after leaving the high 

 ground, are covered with tropical forest, except in very flat 

 countries. These spots are a paradise for entomologists, and 

 swarm with butterflies of such tropical western genera as 

 Bicyclus, Pseicdoneptis, Diestogyna, Huphcedra, Euryphene, Harina, 

 etc., etc. This was especially noticeable in the valley of the 

 Lualaba river and to the west of it. I also found many of 

 these forms in the lower Kalungwisi valley in N.E.,, Rhodesia. 

 Unfortunately, I was not able to visit either spot in the height of 

 the rains, which appears to be the richest season in these 

 localities. 



The collection here described contains 450 species, distributed 

 among the families as follows : — 



Nymphalid.e. Danmnce 6 



Salyriiue 27 



Acrceinm 46 



Nymphalhw 93 



LEMONIIDiE 1 



Lyoenid^e 120 



PlERIDiE 42 



Papilionltle 15 



Hesperiid.e 100 



Total 450 



The unusually large proportion of Lycpenidae and Hesperiida?, 

 which, as may be seen, comprise about half the total, is due to the 

 fact that an attempt was made to give an equal amount of time 

 to collecting all the subfamilies. It seems to have been largely 

 the practice of collectors in the tropics to sacrifice these more 

 inconspicuous forms for those more attractive to the eye. No 

 attempt has been made to record the actual number of specimens 

 captured except in the case of new or rare species. The number 

 of specimens of Lepidoptera brought to England, approximately, 

 was about 25,000. Very large numbers also of commoner species 

 were discarded before the collections came to England. The 



