180 
ST. HELENA. 
Cirrospilus, Westwood. 
* 0 . nireus, Walk. — A species about the size of a pin’s head. 
Order Lepidoptera. 
The varied hues of the St. Helena landscape need little to add to 
their brilliancy, or the almost entire absence of Butterflies would be 
more striking. There are but four species in the Island, and they 
have all been imported. With the Moths it is quite different. 
They abound, as is evidenced not only by their own presence, but 
by the multitude of their large and small caterpillars or larvae, which 
cause so much destruction to garden plants. There is one of them, 
known as the common black grub, which at certain times literally 
swarms in the earth, and proves as formidable an enemy to the 
farmer and the gardener as they are likely to meet with. Most of 
the Moths are nocturnal in habit, and sometimes, attracted by a 
light, come into a room in such numbers as almost to extinguish 
the flame of a candle. Mr. Walker has identified forty-three species, 
of which he has described twenty as new to science. 
Fam. Nyrnpludidm. 
Danais, Latr. 
D. chrysippus, Linn.— The Asclepias Butterfly is the largest 
and most showy, and is very common in the warm parts of the 
Island, where it is evidently attracted by the Asclepias bushes, upon 
which its beautiful black and yellow caterpillars feed, and from which, 
like handsome eardrops, its bright green and gold pup® or chrysa- 
lides are suspended. 
Hiadema, Boisd. 
D. bolina, Linn. — Black-and-white Butterfly, of which only a 
few exist on the low warm land about Jamestown, where it asso- 
ciates with the Asclepias Butterfly. 
Pyrameis, Hiibn. 
P. eardui, Linn. — The common, ubiquitous, Painted Lady, or 
orange and red Butterfly, is one of the most abundant, frequenting 
all parts of the Island, but chiefly the gardens on the high land. 
