288 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



judgment. As the early morning sun catches her sheeny black 

 wings with shades beautifully marbled with violet-black, I find 

 it difficult to determine the class to which she belongs. About 

 | in. in expansion. Antennae very feathery ; body with lighter 

 bands ; the last segment is slightly fringed, giving the anal 

 extremity a naked appearance, which she allows to be exposed •, 

 in the centre of each top wing is a small copper irregular dot, 

 otherwise she appears sooty black. The legs are long for such a 

 small insect, and I noticed, when resting, these were always 

 straightened out as she folds her wings under about them. One 

 I had under observation till she died never once left her first 

 position, and never attempted to fly when touched. From this 

 I was led to suppose she would under more natural conditions 

 lay her eggs on the pupa-case or thereabouts. 



Seeing now that the moth (June) is out, and the ova of the 

 Fulgorid awaiting the early rains before hatching — probably 

 September or later — the ova of the fertile moth deposited now 

 would not, I think, hatch out till winter was well over. In this 

 I am able, as it were, to lend support to my contention of the 

 young larvae finding their host, which then would be well ad- 

 vanced. I regret, though both male and female were out at the 

 same time, no copulation took place in the breeding apparatus. 

 The male moth is so much smaller, and not black, as the female ; 

 his wings have a faded appearance of being mixed with umbers 

 and browns, not by any means equalling the lustre of his mate. 

 He is very quick on the wing ; at the least disturbance he takes 

 flight, and tumbles about some time before resting. 



As I am enclosing for my friend the Editor both sexes, together 

 with larva and host, &c, I shall await with impatience his report 

 as to what genus and species it will be known by in future. 



What puzzles me not a little since I made this discovery, and 

 keeps returning to my mind as I write, is that this larva or its 

 cocoon should have evaded me so long, I have inspected these 

 same bushes for almost ten years — weekly, I may say. R. guttata, 

 with others, I have found, and had either been there at these 

 times, it is only reasonable to suppose I should have noticed 

 them. 



I believe some years ago the late Mr. A. D. Millar found, 

 when breeding two species of Lyccenida in Natal, that both butter- 



