136 



The Naturalist. 



tlie Cape.* Silk from these cocoons is of good quality, and possibly of 

 commercial value when the grubs are persuaded to oblige us by omit- 

 ting filamentary admixtions. I have not been fortunate enough to 

 rear them from chrysalids. All our Bombyces, on account of obstacles 

 needless to enumerate, are troublesome to manage, and where success- 

 ful, the breeder is not assured of satisfactory conclusions, as lovely 

 grubs do not always realise lovely imagines. A few species of the 

 genus Saturnia grow to an immense size before the final change ensues. 

 The two larvae I have sketched from preserved specimens are ex- 

 tremely common, gregarious, and destructive. Another large and 

 beautiful caterpillar is Antheroea ci/tJierea, very common. 



•j* Anther oRa menippe (Fig 1, pi. 8), if partial to field or garden crops, 

 would rank conspicuously amongst our deadly enemies, and Bunoea 

 Caff r aria (fig. 2), if not so plentiful, is equally destructive. The latter 

 possesses spines like " fretful porcupine," the former tridentate 

 forks (fig. 1a). I have been obliged to stuff my giants with cotton 

 wool in order to preserve them. I struggled perspiringly to inflate 

 one for an artist's model, so you need not smile captiously at the term 

 cotton wool. With unprofessional impatience I puffed and snorted, 

 blew, and panted, and then tried Clarke's spray producer, " after 

 Porritt," all to no purpose ; nothing had inflated but my cheeks. I 

 staggered to a seat exhausted and sad, appropriately yelling " Cater- 

 pillar be blowed!" The little whisper of faith suggested historical 

 Alfred, of heroic stick-to-it fame, of brave Robert the Bruce, and, lastly, 

 the example of some modern " Child-teacher" writ in most encouraging 

 words, "Try, try, try again," &c. "Keep it up!" said the sprite, 

 Thanks ! not if I know it," responded yours very respectfully : and 

 stuffed my specimens remained. The larger Nocturni are naturally 

 pretty well known, and fairly represented in S.A. Museum. Our 

 Sphinges are numerous and varied, and my old friend A. Atropos 

 poses in Port Elizabeth as a vine pest and a hive. 



( To he continued.) 



Notes from Cambridge. — As far as the nocturnal lepidoptera are 

 concerned, 1883 has been a very unprofitable season here, and most of 

 our local insects have been either exceedingly scarce or conspicuous by 

 their absence. 1 worked hard at pupa digging last autumn and during 



* Fig. 3. (PI. 8) represents one of the hairs of a grand Geometer larva, 

 captured in the Perie Bush. The specimen figured is slightly magnified at its 

 apex, which is of a lovely Prussian blue ; larva, bright yellow with black and 

 irregular bands, or colliding spots interspersed on surface with short hairs. 



t Authority— Trimen. 



