( 341 XVIII. Notes on Butterflies collected by J. H, Bowker, Esq., in Basuto-land, South Africa; with de-scriptions of some Nov) Species. By Roland Trimen. [Read 7th November, 1870.] Her Majesty's gracious declaration of the Basutos as British subjects, has proved of benefit to Entomology, inasmuch as one of the consequences of that proclamation was the stationing of a most devoted insect collector, Mr. J. H. Bowker, in Basuto-land, with his detachment of the frontier armed and mounted police. Mr. Bowker, who has recently received his well-earned promotion to the chief command of the corps, crossed the Orange River on the 22nd March, 1868, and remained in Basuto-land until towards the end of June, 1870. During this period, he had occasion to visit every part of the country, except the sources of the Caledon River, and has carefully collected all the species of Rhopalocera with which he met on his journeys, as well as those occurring near his principal stations, Koro-Koro and Maseru. Basuto-land may be said to extend over about two degrees of latitude, being situate between 28° 30' and 30° 30' S., according to the existing maps, and, as at present limited, lies almost entirely between the Caledon River (a considerable Northern tributary of the Orange River) on the West, and the head-waters of the Orange River on the East. It is a high-lying region throughout, and mountainous all along its Eastern border. The following remarks by Mr. Bowker will give a general idea of the tract of country. He writes : '' Near the Caledon there extend high flat-topped hills of white sandstone, with rocky summits, and between them wide levels much cut up with gullies and streams. With the exception of a few willows along the Caledon itself, there are no trees on the river-sides in this part. The streams falling into the Caledon all take their rise in the Maluti mountains (a Southern continuation of the Drakensberg range), but do not penetrate far into the mountains, being mostly cut off by the first range, of which the Machecha (about 10,000 feet above the sea) and Thaba TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1870.-— PART IV. (DECEMBER.) B B
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