51 
could on the few remaining provisions and wait for the tide. Bartica 
was eventually reached in such rough water as to make our situation 
rather dangerous, and I made up my mind that probably I should 
collect as much material round Bartica as in making a lengthened 
journey up the Mazaruni, as I had originally intended. Moreover, 
personally my leanings are towards settling down to collecting 
rather than moving about and doing with a minimum of apparatus. 
As my brother was leaving next day, we took a boat on March 31st 
to explore a creek in the Mazaruni near by. Here I was pleased to 
find Mesosemia meno'etes common, and in excellent condition. The 
ground was a steep slope on the side of a small waterfall, away from 
the sun. Owing to the prickly nature of a certain plant that was 
growing everywhere, it was impossible to investigate far up the creek, 
but seemingly this little black butterfly was the sole representative of 
the order. \\ e are often struck with the extreme localism of some of 
our British lepidoptera, but here in Guiana it is the usual thing for a 
species to be local, and even when the haunt of a certain insect is 
thought to have been discovered, after taking a couple of specimens 
often no amount of perseverance will reveal a third. There are 
really very few common species—that is, species that the late Mr. 
Stainton would have said, “ the young collector will obtain his first 
season with certainty.” This uncertainty gives a wonderful fillip to 
the collector, if I may judge others by my own experience; but-why 
this great uncertainty should prevail is one of the many problems that 
want investigation. Is it possible that many of the species are fecund 
enough but have such tremendous odds to contend against that a bare 
half dozen, possibly, only arrive at perfection ?—or are these 
species in a torrid climate less prolific? That there are enemies 
to larvae I found by sad experience. Often 1 brought home a 
handsome papilionid larva, amongst others, but it was impossible to 
keep the small red ants from them, and death quickly followed. 
Whether these ants would attack a larva in vigorous health or not I 
hardly know ; my opinion is that the larva is worried by the ants to 
start with, and later, when from want of food it becomes sickly, is 
attacked and succumbs. I shall be asked, “ But why not keep the 
ants from them ? ” The answer is, because it is almost imposiible to 
do so without special apparatus. It is. doubtless, also very necessary 
to have large airy cases for breeding, if only the ants can be got rid 
of. After many attempts and constant failure with the larvae, I de¬ 
voted the whole time to the net. 
The most interesting butterflies were certainly the Eryciniilae, 
which were everywhere, and at all times to be obtained. After a very 
short while an Erycinid could be noted by its habit of invariably 
settling on the underside of the leaves, in just the same way as many 
Pyrales do, especially of the sub-family Pyralinae. Day-flying moths 
of this latter family were seldom seen, and I only recollect one or two 
occasions when I congratulated myself on taking a new Erycinid, and 
found with disgust it was only a “ miserable Pyralia as someone once 
called it. Helicopis citpido was quite common around Bartica, and 
especially so on one particular tree, and Eurybia juturna was equally 
so, if not commoner, and always rested on the under surface of a 
Maranta, especially in damp places. Euryytma Hsian and Nymphi- 
cliuni lam is were only met with once, and as they were both worn, 
