LA GUAIRA 
257 
until the afternoon was far advanced, and a mantle of heavy clouds 
had descended from the mountains, which seem to overhang the town. 
There was nothing for it but to watch the grey Pelicans fishing, 
or to look up at the mouldering fort above, and then down again to 
the equally mouldering gunboat in the harbour, and moralize over 
the fall of the Spanish power and the unlimited capacity of the 
Spanish-American for bad government. 
When at last we set foot upon the Spanish Main we found the 
streets were muddy, and that there were all the signs of much recent 
rain. A push was made to the most promising spur, a little to the 
west, where a fair number of butterflies were seen, though few were 
taken. The extremely steep and slippery slopes appeared to consist 
of bright red clay scantily clothed with small bushes, amongst which 
a species of Cistus predominated. Pursuit was almost out of the 
question, and operations were not facilitated by the well-meant 
attentions of some small Indian boys. 
On examination at home my captures proved to be Ithomia 
iphianassa, Dbl. & H., an insect of thoroughly South American type; 
Ageronia ferentina , Godart, and Tmolus cambes , Godm. & S., one 
of each. Of the last-named Mr. H. H. Druce informs me that the 
type came from Mexico, and that it has not previously been recorded 
south of Guatemala. It had a scent which my wife described as that 
of coarse brown sugar, while I compared it to treacle. There were 
also a worn specimen of Sphaenogona gratiosa, Dbl. & H., two 
of Terias albula (one of them having the black border of the hind¬ 
wing unusually pronounced), and two of the Skipper Heliopetes 
laviana. 
With these butterflies were a very few insects of other orders. 
Of several Grasshoppers there was one so coloured as to resemble 
the red soil. A large but dingy Bug, Acantliocephala affinis , Walk., 
made up for deficiencies in colour by its remarkably enlarged tibiae. 
A Lady-bird, Hyperaspis connectens, Thunb., was obtained by sweeping 
close to the sea. A large white, black-barred Pyrale, Ledereria 
nilckenialis , Snell., was also taken. 
A bare muddy slope fully exposed to the sea-winds could not in 
reason be expected to yield a very rich example of the Neotropical 
fauna, more especially late in the afternoon; nevertheless, I 
returned to the ship with some feeling of disappointment. 
