On the stems of the high grass may very often be seen little round nests about the size of a hen’s egg, having the appearance of rough glazed paper, and made by the different species of Mantis ([Plate XVI.]). These nests are applied by the black women to an odd use; they rub the soles of their children’s feet with them in the belief that it will make them good walkers when they grow up, and I have often seen the little brats struggling and yelling in their mothers’ laps whilst being thus tickled.
A large species of wasp (Synagris cornuta) is called the “devil of the road” by the natives, from the alleged poisonous character of its bite and sting. It is a ferocious-looking creature with very large and powerful mandibles ([Plate XVI.]). It is an inch and a half long, and is said to have a habit of settling on the paths: hence its name, and the natives then always give it a wide berth.
The sting of this class of insect is poisonous. One very small species once stung me in the back of the neck, and it was greatly swollen, for several hours; and I have seen a black who had been stung in the ear by a moderate sized one, with not only his ear but the side of his face very much swollen for a couple of days.
Centipedes are very abundant, but their bite is not dangerous. I was bitten by one in the shoulder whilst asleep, and on awaking, and putting my hand instinctively to the place, I was bitten a second time in the wrist, and, although it was a large specimen, beyond the sharp puncture and considerable irritation near the spots, no other ill effect was produced. Whilst I was at Bembe a Portuguese officer was bitten between the fingers, and his hand and arm as far as the shoulder were swollen slightly for two or three days, but without much pain.
Many of the caterpillars are very gorgeously coloured and fancifully ornamented with tufts of hair, but generally the moths and butterflies are of a more dull and sombre colouring than might be expected from the tropical latitude of Angola. Insect life as a rule is scarce, with the exception of ants and mosquitoes, and not only very local in its occurrence but also confined to a short space of time. Hardly an insect of any kind is to be seen in the “cacimbo,” and in the hot season the different species of butterflies only appear for a very few weeks, and sometimes only days. Beetles are remarkably scarce at any time. The finest butterflies are, of course, found in the forest region of the first and second elevation, and almost exclusively in the places most deeply shaded, where they flit about near the ground between the trees. The sunny open places full of flowering plants are not so much frequented by butterflies as might be expected, but the great abundance of insectivorous birds may possibly supply an explanation of this circumstance.
The following interesting note on the butterflies of Angola has been kindly written by my friend, Mr. W. C. Hewitson, so well known from his magnificent collection, and his beautiful work on ‘Exotic Butterflies’:—
“Until very recently we knew nothing of the butterflies of Angola, and very little of those of Africa north of the Cape of Good Hope, except what we could learn from the plates of Drury. The great genus Romaleosoma, so peculiar to that country, and remarkable for its rich colour, rivalling even Agrias of America, was only represented in the British Museum. Now we have them in abundance, and several species are plentiful in Angola.
“We have had large collections from that country during the last two years from Mr. Rogers, a collector sent out by me, and from Mr. Monteiro, who, with the assistance of his wife, caught and brought home a fine collection of Lepidoptera.
“With the first collections of Mr. Rogers, made on the banks of the River Quanza, I was greatly disappointed. With a very few exceptions they contained those butterflies only which we had previously received in abundance from the Cape and from Natal. A collection from the mountainous district of Casengo was much more promising, and supplied us, together with some new species, with several varieties little known before, amongst them Charaxes Anticlea and Harma Westermanni.
“Mr. Monteiro’s collection, though also deficient in new species, contained several of great value, and only recently discovered—Godartia Trajanus, so remarkable for its nearly circular wings, which had been previously taken by Mr. Crossley on the Cameroons; the rare Charaxes Lysianassa, figured by Professor Westwood in his ‘Thesaurus;’ Charaxes Bohemani, which we had previously received from the Zambesi; the very beautiful Crenis Benguella, described by Mr. Chapman; and a number of varieties of Acræa Euryta, and the Diademas, which so closely resemble them.