45 
England. Here and there on the sides wild begonias are to be found, 
whilst the ground below, formed of warm soft mud is covered with 
maiden hair and other ferns. Although there was a cool breeze 
blowing outside, the air in the “ gruta ” was like that of a forcing- 
house, the moist heat rendering it almost impossible to remain long 
Avithin its limits. Almost at the top of the trees, and difficult to 
catch on account of this habit, were a number of delicate white 
butterflies, Eubagis cocades, Burm., flitting slowly here and there 
among the foliage, and one or two of more gorgeous tints kept them 
company. Resting on the ferns we saw two fragile Hymenitis erruca, 
Hew., whose transparent wings at certain angles reflected a lovely blue, 
this colour appearing to great advantage when settled with their wings 
fully spread on the green fronds. These with a small dark “ skipper ” 
closely striped beneath with yellow and brown, a brassy-coloured geo¬ 
meter, Heterolocha apricaria, H.S., a bombycid with a yellow ringed 
body that was twisted over as though to sting, and an Adela (?) were 
the only imagines taken, but a number of strange larvte, generally 
covered with long spines or hairs, were feeding on the lower plants. 
As we emerged from the valley the sun shone for the brief interval 
already mentioned and we quickly secured a series of a ringlet, a 
Papilio, with black with yellow patches on the hindwings, P. pom- 
peins, Fb., J , and a number of Hesperids. A species of “ grizzled ” 
skipper Pyrgus syrichthus, Fb. Another species of the same type but 
wholly white with the exception of the borders of the wings Leuco- 
chitonia arsalte, L., smaller than specimens in the La Platz Museum 
from Brazil. Achylodes thrasa, Hb. Another of similar type but 
smaller and more banded in appearance, and with three small white 
spots on forewings. A similar type, but with edges of wings strongly 
dentated. Another of large Thymele type, but plain brown with 
yellowish band and spots of forewings and a tail. Thymele eurydes, 
Latr., a long-tailed skipper, also occurred on the banks of the 
smaller streams nearer Tacuarembo. A single small pyrale Sarnia 
ecdeaialis (eastellaris ), Gn., completed the list of new captures. 
The fauna of the hillside strongly recalled the fact impressed upon 
us last year in the Cordillera, i.e., the similarity of the butterflies of 
the hillsides in this part of the world with those occurring in similar 
localities in England. The ringlets seemed familiar to us, and we 
almost expected to see the “ blues.” However, I have been told that 
small blue butterflies do occur in the country, although in the 
Argentine the only example of a real Lyceana we have seen is one L. 
hanno. Several of the species common in Buenos Ayres were noticed, 
amongst them being Pyrgus notatus, Pyramids huntera, Jmionia lavinia 
and Tatochila autopice. 
Judging from the captures made in the short time available at 
Tacuarembo, from the great variety exhibited in a collection made 
near Montevideo, by an English lady, and from a few examples taken 
casually in Rio Negro, I think it is probable that the number of 
diurnal lepidoptera in the Banda oriental is very considerably greater 
than in the vicinity of Buenos Ayres, and there certainly appear to me 
many more species tending towards the type of what I used to look 
upon as the real South American butterfly, the “ dragonfly ” form of 
the Ithomiinae, etc. Here I have only taken one example of the type 
referred to, a single Methona themisto. 
