OBSERVATIONS ON SOMH SOUTH AFRICAN TEli JUTES. 347 



According to the notes, the adults of bilobatns '"fly 

 around bushes and ultimately settle upon them. The male 

 seizes the ventral surface of the abdomen of the female with 

 his wings projecting in front of her head. The female flies 

 away with him in the direction of the wind. On settling the 

 male loosens his hold and both shed their wings. The female 

 then proceeds to look for a place of shelter, the male following 

 her." 



No full opportunity to confirm these observations has yet 

 presented itself. On several occasions the species was seen 

 emerging before seven on sunny surainer mornings ; in one 



Text-fig. 8. 



^S^ 



& i c d 



The mating of species allied to Eutermes bilobatns. a. Male 

 attaching itself to female, h. Female dragging off dealated male, 

 c. Female flying with male. d. Male and female seeking a spot to 

 burrow. (About natural size.) 



case a female was seen to alight on the ground beside a 

 dealated male, when the small creature immediately seized her 

 abdomen Avith all his feet, and then the female rose into the 

 air and flew oif with him. 



The mating of the allied species was more fully noticed in 

 Pretoria, November 14th, 1914, between 1 and 2 p.m. Before 

 this, the species had been seen several times on the wing 

 during light showers of rain and its habit of swarming around 

 trees noted. During a shoAver of rain the writer happened 

 to be standing under an open umbrella in a field where 

 thousands of insects w^ere emerging from the soil. The 

 umbrella attracted them, and soon a cloud flew around, 

 hundreds alighting upon the wet, upper surface, but none 

 attempting to come beneath its shelter. In the wet film 

 pairing proceeded rapidly. The females walked about con- 



VOL. 3, PART 2. 24 



