28 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Jan., '22 



on the tree trunk itself in spite of its utter unsuitability for 

 larval existence ; these were Papilio epenetus and what I took 

 to be an Agrias, like the Prepona, the only one of its species 

 I ever saw. In all instances the ova were deposited in a close 

 group. I have seen the Hcliconiits and the Papilio ovipositing 

 under natural conditions on Passiliora sp. and Citrus decum-ani 

 respectively; the former deposits a single egg on the tip of a 

 separate leaf ; I never found more than one egg to a leaf. 

 The Papilio, on the other hand, places its score or so of eggs 

 in a close group ; an Agrias of differing species, that I had 

 been fortunate enough to observe, placed its eggs quite sepa- 

 rately on the under sides of the leaves. In addition to the 

 above perhaps interesting subject, I may be allowed to men- 

 tion superficially one or two other insects attracted by the 

 odor of the fermenting sap two were very prominent a fine 

 Elater of silvery gray with a longitudinal red line at each side 

 of the thorax and elytra, and black lines in centre and a lively 

 Wasp with a sparkling green-blue body and shining bronze 

 wings ; early one morning a great "Harlequin" Beetle (Macro- 

 pus longinianus} hanging on by its six- inch long forelegs 

 after, presumably, a night's debauch, its grotesquely designed 

 body markings of stripes and curved blotches in red, black and 

 sage-green, making it a very conspicuous object. Another 

 solitary and very large visitor was a giant locust of the genus 

 Tropidacris ; its crimson and black \vings gave a spread of 

 nine inches, with body and legs in proportion. In fair number, 

 but making only a very short visit, came a colossal wasp, a 

 Sceliphron (apparently near nigripes}, but seeming to appre- 

 ciate more the flowers of a Cacsalpina coriaria nearby. In 

 much larger numbers came the black stingless Bees and cer- 

 tain Sarcophagidae and Muscidae. Ants, strangely enough, 

 were uninfluenced by the attraction. 



On several occasions thereafter I tried the stripping of bark 

 in places where Insect life was intensely abundant in num- 

 bers and very varied in species, but either the sap was not at 

 the right stage of ripeness or the trees were not of the proper 

 species, as all that resulted were Hesperidae, of course, and 

 the equally expected Callidryas and Satyrinae. 



I expect to return to the same localities again shortly and 

 this time, having more fixed headquarters, I shall install a 

 complete outfit of breeding cages for rearing the imagines and 

 for making colored drawings of the metamorphoses of all pro- 

 curable species of the splendid and little known Lepidoptera 

 of this difficult, very unhealthy and therefore practically 

 unmapped and entomologically unexplored country. 



