MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 687 



Thomas" Mount, and the ruins of the ancient Roman Catholic Church, 

 near the Butt Plain in the same locality. They seem to have a particular 

 liking for cemeteries, as large numbers can be taken in St. Mary's Ceme- 

 tery, Madras. The stone gray colour of this insect seems to match well 

 with discoloured walls and tombstones. 1 have never taken any in 

 shrubbery or grass, always on rocks, stone walls, or buildings of sombre 

 colour. 



The banks of the river Adyar, which runs west of the hill, were worked 

 several times but the results were disappointing. Large numbers of B. 

 contaminaia were found. These insects were never seen away from water, 

 and are to be found all along the river banks as well as in nearly every 

 well in the place. 



T. 2}(i^^idi^i6rvts was fairly common. Only two specimens of T. aurora 

 aurora jiiv were taken. These last must be more numerous and it is 

 possible that the particular locality favoured by them was not discovered. 

 The colour changes due to maturation are very well marked in T. pallkJi- 

 nervls. The adult insect has a robust maroon thorax, while in the juvenile 

 the thorax is a pale yellow. 



Two species, fairly common in the wells around the Mount, are of 

 special interest. They are Z. petiolatum and T. iilhrga. These flies appear 

 to be almost exclusively " night fliers " or more correctly " twilight 

 fliers " as no specimens were seen flying or feeding by day. A few 

 specimens of T. tiUarga were beaten up from a dense growth of cactus 

 during the afternoon, but their movements were sluggish, and showed 

 nothing like the same activity they evince after sundown. They appear 

 to leave their shady haunts about sunset. The ^0 or 40 minutes of dusk 

 which mtervenes before complete darkness is a busy period for them. 

 I never observed any of these insects seated at this time. They spend 

 the time <m the wing in extraordinarily swift flight over water, in wells or 

 tanks, or over the tops of trees and bushes, feeding greedily on the 

 swarms of mosquitoes and other small insects, which seem to awaken to 

 life at this time. The eyes of specimens of both species, when examined 

 fresh, are of a singularly rich olive green quite unlike the eyes of other 

 species of LiMlulines. It is possible that this feature in conjunction with 

 the peculiar conformation of the vesicle, as pointed out by Captain F. C. 

 Fraser, i.m.s., may be of some special service to it in its night-flying 

 habits. 



Another interesting feature with regard to Z. petiolatum is the unusually 

 delicate nature of its limbs, an abdomen. It is possible that the nature 

 of its prey may have something to do with this. Its facies is almost 

 mosquito-like in appearance, if due allowance is made for its size. 



The male of C. servllice occurs in two distinct colourations. One a 

 bright scarlet with delicate frosting, and the other a dusty yellow. 

 Mature specimens of both types were taken. 



P. flavescens \xeTe not numerous at this time of the year, but I believe 

 they have been known to swarm over the Butt plain at the beginning of 

 the' rains. A high flying insect, it hovered chiefly around mango trees 

 apparently feeding on the little mango flies, always to be found among 

 the leaves of these trees at this time of the year. 



On the whole dragonflies were numerous, but the number of species 

 found was disappointingly small, 



■" Since writing the above Captain Fraser has fo\uid that D. nehvlom was 

 common around'' Madras in .June. They were plentiful over marshy 

 o-round. 1 mio-ht add that the few specimens taken by me were also 



