40 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and the accounts of her daily life there, her trials with the native 

 servants, her success in training indolent Kafirs to assist in 

 collecting specimens, and the details respecting the animals met 

 with during her rambles, are narrated with a cheerfulness — and at 

 the same time with a sense of humour — which makes her book 

 delightful reading. Birds are by no means neglected, as will be 

 seen on reference to pp. 39-5*3, and indeed some of her feathered 

 friends, though adding to the enjoyment of the author, proved to 

 be rather serious rivals in the business of collecting insects, 

 especially a beautiful species of Coly of a rich rufous brown, with 

 two long tail-feathers and a black crest, which abounded in the 

 woods. " Many a time," says Mrs. Monteiro, " have I seen one 

 chasing a butterfly I particularly coveted, which sometimes fell to 

 the bird's share and sometimes to mine. I shall never forget the 

 cry of horror my boy gave, nor his look of consternation, when 

 one of these birds darted out and captured a rare butterfly he had 

 been endeavouring to net for more than an hour, whilst patiently 

 seated in a most uncomfortable position on the top of a tree." 

 Swallows (belonging to our own familiar species) were abundant 

 at Delagoa Bay ; and early in March, after torrential rain and a 

 hurricane of wind which sent the thermometer down to 63°, 

 numbers took refuge in Mrs. Monteiro's house, where they 

 seemed to like the warmth of her hand, and did not attempt to 

 move when she stroked their heads. 



Insects, naturally, attracted the largest share of the author's 

 attention, and many of these, with the flowers and plants on which 

 they feed, form the subjects of the beautiful and artistic illustra- 

 tions at the head of each chapter. These are by A. B. and E. C. 

 Woodward, from original sketches by the author. Several 

 butterflies new to the African fauna are figured, and brief 

 descriptions are given of the larvae of many species of Lepi- 

 doptera, some of them for the first time. Mrs. Monteiro 

 engages in an able defence of the flowers of South Africa against 

 the often-repeated accusation that they are devoid of scent ; she 

 asserts that the Delagoa Bay fever is not nearly so black as it is 

 painted ; she has even a good word for the Kafir ; and altogether 

 she may be congratulated upon having written a thoroughly 

 cheerful and interesting book. 



H. S. 



