HESPERID^. 
329 
Colonel Bowker sent five pupa-skins of this species, enveloped in the folded 
palm-leaves. 
Vysmephila is a near ally of Cerymica, Hewits., from Old Calabar. Only 
the of the latter is figured (Uxot. Butt., iv. pi. 57, ff. 20, 21) and described ; 
the same sex of Dysmephila differs in being considerably smaller, and in the 
fore-wings having a conspicuous white hind-marginal border, the vitreous spots 
three instead of four in number, and white instead of pale-yellow, and wanting 
an oblique linear grey masculine badge just before lowest vitreous spot.^ 
Colonel Bowker discovered this fine species in KalFraria Proper, capturing 
a single $ in March 1864 on the banks of the Bashee Eiver ; it was visiting 
flowers about sunset on a dark cloudy evening. Writing from D'Urban on the 
28th May 1884, he observes, " This Skipper is a regular night-bird, and comes 
out with the owls and the bats. At this season it is almost dark at 5.45 p.m., 
and on these last two evenings I have taken five or six on the wing, chasing 
each other about a small tree. When in full chase they make a louder hum- 
ming noise with their wings than most hawk-moths ; I could often hear them 
a good ten yards off, when it was too dark to see them except when they rose 
above the horizon line." Mr. A. D. Millar writes that he has never captured 
this dusk-loving butterfl3\ The only Cape specimen that I have seen was taken 
near King William's Town by Miss F. Bowker in 1873. Colonel Bowker has 
taken it at D'Urban in December as well as in the winter mouths. 
I. South Africa. 
B. Cape Colony. 
h. Eastern Districts. — Pembroke, near King William's Town (Miss 
F. Boivker). 
D. Kaffraria Proper. — Bashee River (/. H. Bowker). 
E. Natal. 
a. Coast Districts. — D'Urban and Pinetown (/. II. Boivker and //. 
356. (U.) Pamphila Fiara, (Butler). 
$ Proteides Fiara, Butl., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1870, p. 503, n. 3. 
$ Proteides Fiara, Stand., Exot. Schmett., i. pL 99 (1888). 
Exjp. al, {$) 2 in.— 2 in. 2 lin. ; ($) 2 in.— 2 in. 3 lin. 
Allied to Dysmephila, Trim. 
$ Bather dtdl ochreous-hrown ; hind-wing da.rker, ivith a median 
space of dark ochre-yelloio. Fore-wing': on costa near apex two or three 
faint dull-creamy dashes at extremities of subcostal nervules. Hind- 
wing : median ochre-yellow filling discoidal cell (except close to base), 
and extending beyond and below it over about half the length of median 
nervuleSj but not reaching submedian nervure. Cilia very dull brownish- 
white. Under side. — Hind-wing and narrow costal border and broad 
apical hind-marginal area of fore-wing pale dull brownish-grey, with a 
tinge of yellowish and a slight violaceous surface-gloss, rather sparsely 
speckled with blackish. Fore-iving : basal half of inner-marginal border 
^ I believe that a large West African species which I noted in the British Museum col- 
lection will prove to be the ? Cerymica ; on the under side of the hind-wings the white 
stripe is much broader than in ? Dysmephila, and the neuration is whitish. 
a Harford). 
