April, 1892. natural history jottings in natal. 
87 
me than a centipede, for the latter, with its numerous, quickly 
moving feet, is a most repulsive-looking thing. They are to 
be found under the dead bark of trees, and I often come 
across them when hunting for beetles. 
In the pea-like pods of one of our trees the pupa of a blue 
butterfly is found, and, when I opened one to see if it was 
occupied, a small centipede came running out. On picking 
another pod and biting the end off it, I was surprised to 
find it also occupied by another centipede, after which you 
may be sure I did not bite any more. 
Though our butterflies are so numerous, there are but 
few of the larvae or pupae that are known. This may be 
owing to the fact that there are comparatively few collectors ; 
but, although I am always on the lookout for them, I have as 
yet only found about eight species, and of these there is, as 
far as I know, only one that has not been figured or 
described. 
To a lover of beetles there is a fine hunting ground here, 
for there is such variety in colour, markings, and form. It is 
a most interesting sight to watch our common manure beetle 
as it rolls its ball of manure along to some place where the 
ground is soft enough to enable it to bury it, where it will 
become food for the larva on its emergence from the egg 
which is deposited within it. The beetle walks backwards, 
and pushes the ball with its hind-feet, so that while at work 
it appears to be standing on its head. I have seen two at 
work at the same ball, but generally there is only one. 
Beetles of all sorts and sizes are to be found in dead wood, 
amongst the grass or dead leaves, or buried in the flowers, 
and even in the fruit. 
I have no doubt you have often heard the faint squeak ot 
the bats in the evening time at home, but their note is very 
weak when compared with that of the bats we get here. A 
fruit-eating bat that was brought to me some time ago 
measured twenty-three inches across the expanded wings, 
and has an enormous head, in shape very like a dog’s; and it 
has powerful teeth, too. Our small bat can be found at any 
time, asleep in the folded leaves of the banana plants, which 
are quite a favourite resort of theirs. As soon as the sun sinks 
below the horizon, dozens of them may be seen flying from 
the town in a north-easterly direction. I have often seen 
them dart from beneath the eaves of the houses, and without 
any hesitation fly straight for the north-east. On the south 
and south-west the town is bounded by the bay, and on the 
east by the ocean, so that it may be they choose this 
direction as it takes them inland to the woods where they will 
find their food. 
