THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 395 



it was the same species we had recently seen in British Guiana. 

 Its appearance was entirely different and the general colour and 

 habits were in keeping with the surroundings which were not 

 strikingly different from those of British Guiana. 



On several occasions I saw the male seize an ovipositing female 

 as she thrust her ovipositor in the damp but hard soil. So occupied, 

 the male would find her as he came swiftly along the creek bed. 

 Without hesitation he would plunge down on her, when the liveliest 

 tussle would take place, the two tumbling over and over on the 

 ground among leaves and other debris with a great rustling of 

 wings and a general commotion that indicated a life and death 

 struggle. When the male succeeded in fastening his appendages 

 on the female's head a wild nuptial flight to a great height and 

 distance immediately took place. Females, presumably the same, 

 after a short time returned again to the same spot to oviposit. 

 Such females were more or less stained and sticky, and we believed 

 that in the pre-copulatory conflicts with the males the abdominal 

 integument had been torn at a number of places with a resulting 

 leakage of body fluids. 



Explanation of Plate XVII. 



Fig. 1. StauropJilehia reticulata Burm., rear view of head of 

 female, clasped by abdominal appendages of male ; hd. rear of head ; 

 mx-, maxilla (cardo) ; Ih., labium; of, occipital foramen; 5. ap, 

 superior appendage of male; /z., hook-like process on upper side of 

 superior appendage; s.c, elevated distal part of superior carina; 

 h. inf., basal prominence of inferior appendage; p. pr., position of 

 posterior margin of pronotum. 



Fig. 2. Staurophlehia reticulata Burm., front view of prothorax 

 of female, clasped by appendages of male; st., prosternum; epm., 

 pro-epimerum, showing depression in which the superior appendage 

 fits (this is slightly out of place on the right side) ; ant. pr., anterior 

 margin of pronotum; p. pr., posterior margin of same; ap., apex of 

 superior appendage; inf. ap., inferior appendage; other lettering 

 as before. 



