MISCELLANEOUS NOTE lOOtt 



In September, the common species of Cicindela are extremely abundant as 

 beetles on wet alluvial lands near rivers, on the wetter parts of cultivated 

 lands whure the soil is compact and are presumably layino the eggs from which 

 come the larvae to be found in late October, before which time the beetles are 

 dead. 



Cicimlela has not, in this countiy, been reared as yet; ail our previous 

 attempts have been failures, but with a larger supply of material, we hope 

 to be more successful. 



(/i).— Attraction to Light. 



In "Indian Insect Life" (p. 106) we have discussed this point, and those 

 who have read the interlude there may be interested in the subject. Forel, 

 the author of " The Senses of Insects," has there pointed out (hat the attiac- 

 fcion of a bright light is probably due to the confusion produced in the brain 

 of the insect by a concentrated point of light, an effect occurring in 

 Nature only from the sun which is overheard, while our lights are at 

 the insect's level. He also rightly points out that household insects are 

 not attracted by light, being accustomed to our artificial lights and not attiact- 

 ed by them. On the other hand, moths especially are freely attracted by a 

 large white sheet, that is, an area of diffused white light, in preference to a 

 point of light. 



A long series of experiments were made in India with coloured lights, but 

 they yielded little result of interest. 



Another point is that the bulk of the insects which come to light are crepus- 

 cular soil insects, accustomed to fly in the dark and entirely unaccustomed to 

 a concentrated bright light. 



We have found also that in bad weather, many insects come to light that do 

 not ordinarily do so, and we believe this is not so much the light as shelter 

 from the wind. Bees and dragon flies are quite common at lights in houses 

 in rough weather, wheieas they are never so found ordinarily ; the bees have 

 presumably been overtaken before they could reach the rest, and the diagon 

 flies, ordinarily sleeping out in an exposed position, are the first to feel a high 

 wind and be blown away. 



Light traps are in fairly common use as against some pests, especially in the 

 tropics, but the opinion is often expressed that a light trap catches more 

 beneficial than injurious insects, and so does harm. We believe this to be 

 an entirely mistaken idea ; the ' parasites' that the light is supposed to 

 attract are usually winged ants. 



(0. — The Eggs of Oligotoma. 



EmhiidiB are insects, of which not much is known, though they are 

 to be found in most localities in India. In the plains all attempts to rear 

 them have failed, but under more favourable circumstances at Lebong, at 



