EAST LONDON 
183 
East London, Cape Colony, lat. 33° S. Sea-level. 
August 12 th. 
An eager reconnaissance from the deck before breakfast revealed 
a tempting spot a mile or two to the north-east of the town where 
hills of blown sand capped by scrub suggested many possibilities. 
Accordingly we landed at the earliest opportunity and took a carriage. 
The road from the quay alongside the inner harbour brought us in a 
very few minutes into the Queen’s Park, through which we were to 
drive. Our attention was at first caught by the weird forms of 
gigantic tree-Euphorbias,—strangely contrasting with the stemless 
form seen at Port Elizabeth—but these were soon forgotten, for as we 
passed the park gates we seemed to enter a very preserve of Butter¬ 
flies. To one of us the sight was new as it was beautiful, to the 
other it brought back vivid recollections of India and Ceylon; both 
agreed to dismiss forthwith the Kaffir driver, who, while he pocketed 
his easily-earned fare, doubtless pondered on the strange develop¬ 
ments of European civilization and the increase of lunacy consequent 
thereon. 
The park is formed out of a piece of the primaeval scrub of 
varied growth, filling a horseshoe-shaped hollow between the town 
and a tributary of the Buffalo. It is intersected with roads, footpaths, 
and streams; in parts are artificial shrubberies and flower-beds, 
which are gradually ousting the natural scrub. In the varied scene 
of insect life the most obvious characters were clouds of Mylothris 
agathina , Cram., of both sexes, their brilliant white and orange 
colouring showing clearly as they fluttered slowly and fearlessly over 
the large bushes of Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, glowing with 
their scarlet bracts. The males give out quite a strong scent very 
closely resembling that of sweet-briar. Amongst the agathina we 
took three specimens of the nearly allied ruppellii, Koch, of both 
sexes, and in another part of the park a single male of the delicate 
trimenia , But!., with its pale yellow hind-wings. 
Less showy, but almost equally common, was Belenois severina, 
Cram., the Common White of this part of the world. Both sexes 
were well represented, the male having a distinct scent. All were 
of the dry-season form; some were very small. Of B . gidica, Godart, 
a single male was taken, also strongly scented. Of the more gaudily 
coloured B. zochalia , Boisd., two males and a female turned up. 
Terias was represented by a single brigitta, Cram., a male; Colias 
by two electra , also males; and Teracolus by two omphale, one of 
