284 [November, 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FROM ADEN AND COLOMBO. 



BT J. J. WALKEB, E.N., F.L.S. 



"We arrived at Aden at 8 a.m. on April 5th, and left at G p.m. 

 on the 7th. A moi-e wretchedly barren and unpromising place than 

 Aden cannot be imagined, the peninsula (which rises to the height of 

 1776 feet) is nothing but a jumble of rugged, blact volcanic hills, 

 which seem as if they had only just cooled down from their original 

 fiery condition, and only on close scrutiny can a few specks of green 

 be observed, chiefly on the higher summits. Nevertheless, I landed 

 at 1.45 p.m. on the 5th, and after walking about a mile, found a com- 

 paratively level spot of some considerable extent, supporting a fair 

 amount of vegetation, consisting chiefly of bushes of Mimosa, Cassia, 

 Eupliorhia, CaJotropis {Asclepiadecs), and Capparis, with one or two 

 which I did not know, besides a fair sprinkling of low plants, though 

 not enough to cover the soil of volcanic ashes and fi'agments of lava ; 

 but I thiuk that I am well within the mark in saying that at least fifty 

 to sixty species of plants were represented on this spot. A good many 

 species of Coleoptera (mostly small) were obtained by beating the 

 bushes into my white umbrella, but this, unfortunately, soon collapsed, 

 or I should, no doubt, have got many more ; the Perim Adesmia was 

 here in small numbers. The afternoon, though intensely hot (87°) 

 was breezy, so that what butterflies there were about were not at all 

 easy to secure. However, I secured Junonia (Enone, Diadema Misippus, 

 $ , some fine examples of the Pieris (? Hellica, L.) taken at Perim, 

 and another species ; a little slate-coloured Thecla was not rare about 

 the Mimosa bushes, with one or two other Lyccenidce ; and I saw one 

 or two " skippers," which were too quick for me. My most interesting 

 captures were in the genus Teracolus, of which I found four species, 

 all except one in fair numbers, under the lee of the Capparis bushes, 

 to which they seemed particularly attached. I could only identify 

 one, T. Dynamene, Klug and Chr. Next day (6th) I went to the 

 same place, and took very good series of the four species of Tera- 

 colus, besides adding specimens of Lyccena hcetica, and a delicately 

 coloured greenish-white Callidryas (? C. florella, L.), to my col- 

 lection, and bringing the number of species of butterflies observed 

 on this little plain (about thirty acres) to fourteen. I set out sixty 

 butterflies in all, not bad for such a barren place as Aden. I could 

 not get on shore at all on the 7th, as we were busy all day until we 

 left, coaling ship, Ac. Our voyage across the Indian Ocean was very 

 monotonous, though the weather was very calm, and intensely hot ; 



