1894.] MANICA, SOUTH-EAST AFRICA. 23 



Pungwe River on 1st September. In outline they resemble the 

 dry-season race of M. leda, but have even a sharper angulation of 

 the fore wings. The upperside inclines to a more chocolate tint of 

 brown than that shown by M. leda, but its notable distinction lies in 

 the great development and oblique position of the two subapical 

 white spots, which have pale bluish edges and are surrounded by 

 a rather vaguely denned deep fuscous space. Throughout all the 

 variations of M. leda the corresponding white spots are small and 

 constitute the pupils of a more or less developed compound ocellus, 

 and the lower one is directly beneath (or even slightly before) the 

 upper one, instead of almost wholly beyond it. On the underside 

 of libi/a there is evidently (as in that of leda) great variation, 

 Mr. Selous's two specimens differiug widely from each other as well 

 as from Mr. Distant's description of the type, both, however (but 

 especially the Pungwe River example), having a yellower general 

 tint than 1 have found in M. leda. At the same time the markings 

 in all respects, down to the minute incomplete and partly obso- 

 lescent submarginal oceUi, are in unquestionable accordance with 

 those of M. leda (dry-season brood) ; and the striking divergence of 

 the upperside of the fore wings came as a surprise when expanding 

 Mr. Selous's specimens. The captor informed me that both were 

 taken in the shade, among the roots of trees, in the bottom of 

 ravines. 



Mr. Distant informs me that he has not seen any other speci- 

 mens of M. libya except the type, which he recorded as inhabiting 

 " Masasi, East Africa." I find that Masasi is placed on the maps 

 to the north of the Rovuma River, apparently about 150 miles 

 inland from Cape Delgado and some 600 miles north of Manica. 



12. Melanttis diversa (Butl.). 



Grnophodes diversa, Butl. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 5th ser. v. 

 p. 333 (1880). 



Melanitis diversa, Trim. S.-Afr. Butt. i. p. 116. n. 30 (1887). 



Three examples from the valley of the Pungwe River, taken on 

 1st September, do not differ from typical Natalian specimens 

 except in their smaller size, one being quite dwarfed. 



Subfamily Acrjein^e. 



Genus Acr^ea, Fabr. 



13. AcrjEA obeira, Hewits. 



Acrcea obeira, Hewits. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1863, p. 65 ; 

 Trim. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1891, p. 172 [ $ ]. 



A single female, taken at Christmas Pass on 22nd February, 

 differs from the Natalian and Zululand females described by me 

 (I. c.) in having the hind wings and basal half of fore wings pale dull 

 ochry-yellow instead of very dull brick-red. The females of this 

 (the horta) group of Acrcea are inclined to vary in this directiou, the 

 females of A. horta, Boisd., and A. hova, Boisd., sometimes presenting 



