balls for this occasion. Four shots killed five men and sank two of the canoes. The two others retired to assist their friends out of the water. They attempted nothing further, but some of those on shore had managed to reach the point, and as we resumed our paddles, we heard a voice cry out, Go and die in the Ny. anza!' and saw them shoot their arrows, which fell harmlessly a few yards behind us. We were saved!" THE CAMP ON FIRE. Stanley pursued his journey, and the 14th September, 1875, finds him back with Mtesa, who has decided to give battle to the Wavuma, some rival warlike clans who had been troubling him a good deal for some time. Stanley could not proceed while the fierce strife was raging, and thus was a spectator of the whole scene. Thanks to his advice and assistance, Mtesa won, though the struggle lasted, on and off, from September 18th to October 13th, on which day geace was proclaimed. What next happened Stanley himself shall tell. "We were wakened by the tremendous 'Jojussu,' the great king of war-drums. Instantly we began to pack up, but I was scarcely dressed before my people rushed up to me, crying that the immense camp was fired in a hundred different places. I rushed out of my hut, and was astounded to see that the flames devoured the grass huts so fast that, unless we instantly departed, we should be burnt along with them. Hastily snatching my pistols, I bade the Wangwana shoulder the goods and follow me as they valued their lives. The great road from Mtesa's quarters to Nakaranga Point, though 100 feet wide, was rendered impassable by furious, overlapping waves of fire. There was only one way left, which was up the slope of Nakaranga mountain, and through the camp of the Wasoga. We were not alone in the attempt to escape by this way, for about 60,000 human beings had sought A Native Battle. and oilcloth, through the cracks of which the rain poured with great vigour. Now came the whitewashing part of the performance. Jack spoilt a suit of clothes during the process. He informed us it was "awfully awkward, you know" doing the roof-the whitewash would splash about so-it fell on his hair, and his face, and all over him. Had Jack intended to whitewash himself he could not have been much more successful. All was prepared. Now for the fowls. We had a friend who kept fowls-Jack bought one of him; she desired to sit, and Jack returned rejoicing with the hen and a setting of eggs. Alas! that setting. We were all inexperienced with regard to fowls. Jack borrowed a book which told of the manners and customs of the common fowl. We all studied it, and endeavoured to follow the directions. The anxiety of getting the creature off the nest for food was more than can be imagined. It required us all three to do the deed-one to haul up the hen, one to prevent her feet from crushing the eggs in her struggles, another to give excited directions and to be ready to help in case of any catastrophe. At length great was the day. Two chicks emerged! and were placed in the coop Jack had constructed, and now the number of feathery inmates began to augment. a farmhouse. They were delayed on the Three fine laying hens were ordered from road, and arrived, after three days' travelling, in an exhausted state, two proving to be quite young pullets. Just at this point we went to stay for a week at Dorking. Jack became most enthusiastic over the fowls he saw there; he said they were "stunning." The end of it was that he persuaded mother to purchase a brood of eight Dorking chicks one week old, with the hope that the hen at home would rear them with her own. Deluded hope. The spiteful old thing chased and pecked them in the cruellest manner. We had to take charge of them ourselves. I think of that brood with dread even now. They lived partly in their coop, but principally in the garden! Jack said they must run about, and they would do no harm. No harm! They spoilt the garden-pecked the young buds, raked the earth on to the paths, broke the young plants, and generally ransacked the place. At the slightest shower we flew to the garden, caught them often with great difficulty, packed them into the coop, and covered them with waterproofs. In the evening they were stowed in a small hamper and brought into the house, where they slept, to renew themselves for a fresh attack on the garden next morning. Of course some of the brood were weakly and had to be conveyed into the house to have various concoctions poured down their throats and to be wrapt in flannel before the fire. So far Jack's venture had not been lucra tive; he obtained about five eggs per week, and to get the eggs when laid was a most laborious process. The door of the house was so extremely low, and so extremely narrow, and so very much white washed, that it was with difficulty that Jack could squeeze himself in. But when it came to my having to do so-for the freshness of the new toy was wearing off-Jack was no longer down by six, and often confided his pets to my care to feed. I did not enjoy it! The house being so low, I had almost to crawl along, whilst my hair caught at every step in the wire at the top. Moreover the door was very frail, and would not properly fasten from the inside, so that often whilst I groaned at the farther end the pets would make a rapid exulting exit through the half-open door, and the damage they did,-the trouble they were to secure,-the wild gesticulations and the stealthy decoys we had recourse to ere they were safely in their own dominion again! The young Dorkings were growing apace, and, alas! as their days and dimensions increased, a most pugnacious tendency began to show itself. The dread suspicion that they were all cockerels gradually dawned upon us. They fought most earnestly; not a night passed without some victim to a deadly conflict having to be sheltered in a basket in the kitchen; and then, on account of its maimed condition, it was allowed the run of the garden. My garden, in which I had taken such pride, a scene of havoc, destruction, coops, baskets, fowls, an ungainly hen-house, of general confusion! It was too bad. If Jack would only give them up! Our desire was granted; he discovered a friend who wanted some fowls. Infatuated friend! They went; the house has been pulled down, the mania is over, our garden is pretty once more! What will be the next mania, I wonder? NERISSA. This is the more to be regretted, as it is the only British species which connects our butterflies with the gorgeous, long-tailed insects of the tropics. Another species, the scarce Swallow-tailed Butterfly (Papilio podalirius), is said to have been once or twice taken in England, but I very much doubt whether a fair capture of the insect has ever been made. The tails of the hind wings are much longer and narrower than those of the machaon, but it is not nearly so Three long and three short black streaks cross the fore wings, the outer edge of which is also black. handsome an insect. teryx rhamni) cannot take rank as a Swallow- The male, which is represented at Fig. 2, SOME TYPICAL BRITISH BUTTER- the tips, like the sides of a gabled roof. FLIES. BY THE REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S. [See Coloured Frontispiece.] splendid Swallow-tailed (Pa The female is larger than her mate, but not so richly coloured, her wings being of a pale greenish yellow, and looking very much as if they had faded by exposure to light. The short, stout antennæ of this butterfly are worthy of notice. It is one of the hibernators, and is therefore apt to make its appearance even in winter time, Istile machaon) (see Fig. 1) to become extinct Such may be the case with the Swallow-tail, which is now scarcely ever found except in one or two fenny places, those about Cambridge, Norfolk, and Huntingdon being its chief remaining strongholds. More than thirty years ago I saw, and chased for some time, a solitary specimen which was flying over the meadows bordering the Cherwell, near Oxford. It flew too swiftly and at too great an elevation to be captured, and, after a long and fatiguing chase, I lost it. Of course I went day after day to the same locality, but never saw it again. The However, it may still be found in the districts already mentioned, and is plentiful enough in the proper season. The larva feeds mostly on the wild carrot, and, on account of its shape and colouring, is very conspicuous. 66 segments," or rings, of which its body is composed, are exceedingly bold and deeply marked, as if twelve threads had been tied tightly round it. The general colour is bright green, but each segment is surrounded with a bold band of velvety black spotted with red. Immediately behind the head are a couple of reddish horns, if they may be called by that name. They are quite soft, and exude a strongly smelling fluid, especially when handled. The pupa, or chrysalis, belongs to the "belted" or girt" group (scientifically Succincte), being fastened to the stem of the food-plant by a belt or girdle of strong silk, which passes round the body, and is attached at either end to the plant stem. Reclaiming fen-land is a good deed, but it has As the specific name implies, the caterpillar feeds on the buckthorn (rhamnus), and may be found indifferently on either of the two British species. The pupa is one of the belted, or girt kind, and is remarkable for the long and sharply Next on our list comes the Green-veined White (Pieris napi), the under surface of which is shown at Fig. 3. and then we come across a thoroughly appropriate title, such as is the Orange-tip Butterfly, applied to the insect at Fig. 4. The scientific name is Euchloe cardamines. The name of Orange-tip, however, is only applicable to the male, which has the tips of the upper wings of a bright orange colour, with the exception of a black outer edge. In both sexes the under surface of the hind wings is beautifully mottled with green, produced by a mixture of black and yellow scales. Markings of a somewhat similar hue may be found in the very rare Bath White (Pieris Daplidice), but they are much larger and not so clearly defined. The caterpillar is found chiefly on the common cuckoo-flower (Cardamine pratensis), and the These pupa may be found tied to the stem. remarkable pupa cannot be mistaken for those of any other insect, as they are slender, curved backwards, and so sharply pointed at the snout that they bear a curious resemblance to the among grasses. long-bodied snout moths which are so common This pretty butterfly is very plentiful, and, as it flies low, is not swift, and does not readily take alarm, is easily taken, and is sure to be among the first of the young collector's cap tures. Another appropriately named species is the Marbled White Butterfly (Arge galathea), shown at Fig. 5, an insect which cannot be mistaken for any other British butterfly. It is plentiful, and yet scarce, as it is extremely local, and does not fly for any distance. This extremely local feeds on grasses which are found everywhere. range is the more remarkable as the caterpillar But, where it does choose to take up its habitation, it is exceedingly plentiful, so that when a collector comes across a single specimen, he may be tolerably sure that he will be able to take as many as he wants. Yet it can be found all over England, though not, I believe, in Scotland. I have seen it in every part of England which I have visited, though, as stated above, it always restricted itself to certain localities. flies, seldom making its appearance before July, and mostly being seen towards the end of that The Marbled White is one of the later butter month. ground being sometimes milky white, and someThere is a slight variation in its tint, the times taking a pale yellow hue. A very common insect is the Wall Butterfly (Lasiommala megara), shown at Fig. 6. This is almost an obtrusively common butterfly, absolutely forcing itself on the attention of the passenger. Every one who has walked along a country It derives its name from the fact that in most road must have noticed this brown-winged specimens, though not in all, the veins or "ner-insect fluttering along just ahead of him. Somevures" of the under surface of the hind pair of wings are boldly edged with green. Their colour, however, is exceedingly variable, the green taking different shades, and sometimes actually fading into grey. The example given in the plate, however, was taken from an excellent typical specimen of the insect. Whether, however, the edges of the nervures be grey or green, they are so conspicuous that the butterfly cannot be mistaken for any other species, not even for the Small Garden White (Pieris rapa), which resembles it in size, but has no green or grey streaks on the under surface of the hind wings. Like many other butterflies, it is extremely variable in size, some specimens being twice as large as others. The reader, however, must not think that because these dwarf specimens are small, they must be young. Having once attained their wings, they can grow no more, and just as they are when first developed, so will they be when they die. It is almost impossible to disabuse the public mind of the idea that insects can grow, and so firmly is this idea implanted, that many persons persist in believing that a common guat will grow into a daddy-longlegs in process of time. Fanciful and totally inappropriate names are often given to butterflies, but every now times it settles for a moment, but then risesagain, and pursues its course. In fact, it acts very much as the Yellow-hammer does, and, like that bird, seems to consider the traveller as being made expressly for its own amusement. As is the case with several butterflies, the lower surface is more attractive than the upper : the hind wings having a row of double-ringed spots along the outer edges. Being so familiar, it looks as if it could be captured without difficulty. But its habit of keeping itself just out of reach stands it in good stead, and it has rather an irritating way of avoiding the stroke of the net by a foot or two. It ex However, a knowledge of its habits enables us to catch it without much difficulty. The best plan is to let it alone, when it is sure to settle on the ground, or on a wall if it can find one. pects to have a few moments of repose, and arranges itself for that purpose. But, if the collector will make a quick rush as soon as the butterfly has settled, he will generally capture it before it has had time to take the alarm. The caterpillar, like that of the preceding insect, feeds on grasses. I have mentioned, when treating of the Wall Butterfly, that some insects were more notable for the under than for the upper surface of their wings. Especially is this the case with the Ringlet Butterfly (Hipparchia hyperanthus), the under surface of which is slrown in plate. The upper surface has nothing remarkable about it, being deep brown fringed with grey, and having several round spots, black in the centre, and grey around the black. These are bolder in the female than in the male. But on the under surface of the wings may be seen the very conspicuous marks from which the insect derives its appropriate name. They are nearly parallel with the outer edges, three on each front wing, and five on the hind wing. The spots are first pale tawny yellow, within which is a nearly circular spot of black, with a small white centre. The ground colour is soft warm brown. There is considerable variation in different individuals, but the specimen which has been figured affords a very good type of the insect. It is very common, and there is no difficulty in taking it. But the wings are very fragile, being apt to split up between the nervures, so that many specimens must be taken before the collector can secure a really perfect series for his cabinet. The edges of woods and copses are, perhaps, the best localities for this very pretty insect. There is a very small butterfly, called the Little Ringlet, or Mountain Ringlet (Erebia Epiphron) (see Fig. 8), which at one time was so rare as to be placed among the dubious British species. It must, however, be more numerous than is generally thought, for, although the Cumberland mountain grounds have been mentioned as its rediscovered localities, I am tolerably certain that it may have been taken and rejected, on the supposition that it was only a dwarfed specimen of the Common Ringlet. Then there is another very small species, the Marsh Ringlet (Canonympha davus), which is supposed to be restricted to the north of England. Yet I have taken it in Bagley Wood, near Oxford, and was not at all surprised that any one should have mistaken it for a very small Common Ringlet. Indeed, my companion was of that opinion when he saw my capture, and at first could not understand my surprise at discovering such an insect in such a locality. Bagley Wood, however, has so great a variety of soil, and consequently of vegetation, that all kinds of unexpected insects are found in it There is plenty of wet and sloppy, though not of genuine marsh soil, so that a marsh-loving butterfly might well find a home there. To be continued.) THE NAUTILUS VOYAGE. OME of our readers lave expressed a desire to have more details about the wonderful voyage of the Nautilus across the Atlantic. There is not much to add to the graphic account already given in the Boy's OWN PAPER, which was the actual log noted in pencil day by day, and written out in legible narrative. It would have been easy to expand it, but there is most value in the plain, unvarnished tale, as told by the elder of the two brothers Andrews. The boat remains as one of the sights at the Brighton Aquarium, and is not likely again to cross the ocean. On looking at the tiny craft, in length and depth not larger than an ordinary dining-room table, and with planking only half an inch thick, the wonder is how it ever survived the perils of the ocean. It looks like a toy-boat, which the waves could not fail to overwhelm, and which any of the monsters of the deep could have knocked to pieces by an angry attack or a playful charge. The endurance of the crew is even more wonderful than the frailness of their boat. In the little cabin there is not room for a grown man to turn over, and it afforded very partial rest or shelter. Day after day, and night after night, they wore their wet clothes unchanged; their sleep always brief and broken, and sometimes they had no rest for a week. They had the hot coffee only a few times in the forty-five days of the voyage, and could eat little. Chewing tobacco, after the manner of sailors, seemed their chief comfort, and may have lessened the nervous tension, as weil as stayed their hunger. Their whole reserve force was exhausted in the from being lost. He is also a bit of a genius in his way, being able to turn his hands to many sorts of work, following that which pays the best. Neither of the men ever before took an observation of the sun for finding positions at sea, and only claim to be average amateur boat sailors. Their first observation on board the Nautilus after her departure from Boston was described in the log. Their quadrant was an old one, disused for many years, and sadly in want of repairs. Their chronometer was a watch, which broke down shortly after they left home, leaving them without time altogether. Their longitude could be found only by keeping dead reckoning, or speaking vessels when convenient, either being very defective oftentimes. task of getting across, and would not have sufficed for this, apart from their indomitable pluck and firm perseverance. These " Beverley boys" do credit to the physical constitution and adventurous spirit of the New England race. These men were not even sailors; they were artisans, or working men, with little nautical knowledge and experience. The eldest brother (whose portrait is that to the left hand), William A. Andrews, was at this time thirty-five years of age, his only experience, as part of a ship's company, being one trip to the Grand Banks, taken more for his health and recreation than anything else, as he knew that his share of the receipts would be insufficient to meet the current expenses that would be incurred during his absence from home. As he belonged to a small town on the Bay of Massachusetts, his inexperience of the sea must be regarded as a neglect of early tuition, but his tastes were not in that line. He is a mechanic of some skill and an inquiring mind; a pianoforte-maker by trade, having worked for the well-known firm of Chickering and Sons, Boston, for about eight years, and other well-known manufacturers. He also is an old soldier, having served four years and three months during the civil war, with distinction as colour-bearer, and being wounded three times. He has travelled a good deal through most of the States, and has been also in the British provinces, Mexico, Panama, and the West Indies. The younger brother, Asa W. Andrews (whose portrait we also give), is twenty-three years of age, and has been to the fishing-ground several times, having had several narrow escapes weather. Their course was in the line of meeting between the Arctic current and Gulf stream, where the water is always troubled, and ready for a commotion at the least wind in either direction. Their chart was an old second-band one, without the information of those of a later date, and having many bugbears and obsolete rocks. They had a good compass, however, one of Baker's, of Boston. For small craft, they say, there is not its equal, being of great power and very steady under any circumstances. With all their disadvantages, they made a straighter course across than 75 ships out of 100. They made the best time of any small sailing boat. The first third of the voyage took twenty-six days, the other two-thirds only nineteen days. With fair wind and weather, they say the voyage could be made in twenty-five days. From the meridian of Cape Race to Queens town their sailing time was only twenty-one days. They counted fourteen separate storms, the first lasting four days and the second five days. They drifted over 200 miles on their course backwards with a fair wind, and could not sail on account of the enormous combing waves in the second storm. Many old sea captains even now doubt that the Nautilus came over by fair means, she being so slightly built, notwithstanding the brothers spoke thirty-seven vessels on the passage, many of them in bad weather, all of which reported them. By a singular coincidence, the elder brother always said they would be forty-five days crossing the ocean. |