THE MATOPOS 
213 
On a stretch of somewhat lower flat country covered with coarse 
dead grass we saw many individual specimens of the Eed Migratory 
Locust, Schistocerca peregrina , Oliv., but no swarms; we spent much 
time in vainly endeavouring to catch them, for they are extremely 
wary and took to flight in an exasperating manner when approached 
within four or five yards. The general colour of the living insect 
is dark mahogany-red, with some greenish-brown shading, but the 
wings shine brightly in the sunlight, so that the insects resemble 
small flying-fish. 
On September 10th we had a delightful excursion to The Matopos, 
a wild group of granitic hills about forty miles to the south- 
south-west of Bulawayo. The veldt may be from 4500 to 5000 ft. 
above sea-level, the kopjes rising from 100 to 800 ft. higher. In 
the wider valleys are stretches of coarse grass, but for the most 
part the country is covered by somewhat open scrub and forest, not 
especially tropical in aspect. Some of the hills are wooded, others 
mere bosses of almost smooth granite. Such a country was most 
attractive, but the length of the drive to and from the terminus left 
little time for collecting. 
The coach-road passes close by the Zoological Garden, a piece of 
forest four square miles in area, enclosed by a lofty iron fence. It 
was most interesting to see a Giraffe browsing on the leaves of a 
tree, under almost natural conditions. 
The commonest butterfly was Acraea doubledayi , which was to be 
seen flying among long grass as well as at the flowers of Combretum 
and Dombeya , altogether eight specimens were taken; a single example 
of A. calderena , Hew., was taken among long grass, together with 
Yphthima aster ope, var. norma , Westw., and the Blue, Everes cissus, 
Godart. 
The catkin-like racemes of the shrub Selerocarya caffra , Sond. 
[Hat. Ord. Anacardiaceae ], were also very attractive, yielding the 
Lycaenids Hypolycaena caeculus, Hopff., a female, and the very 
beautiful and distinct Stugeta bowkeri , Trim., a male, also the now 
familiar Apis adansoni, $; but far more startling than any of these 
was the beautiful long-beaked Sun-bird with blue throat surmounting 
a breast of crimson shot with violet ( Nectarinia (?) metalliea). 
On the branches of the Selerocarya were a number of Polyrachis 
schistacea, Gerst., a dull, black Ant with nearly globular abdomen. 
A small tree with sweet-scented, viscid, yellow-green flowers, a 
species of Gardenia 1 [Hat. Ord. Buhiaceae\ , was extremely attractive 
to insects, and it was interesting to watch the Sphinx Cephonodes 
1 Or possibly Tricalysia jasminiflora, Hook., of the same Natural Order. 
