264 GENERAL NOTES 



Fabr ; feeds upon the larv?e of Galcrucella triloba, Fabr., 

 an insect that frequents and often completely defoliates 

 the tree Celtis Kraussiana, Bunt. There is vet another 

 enemy of the Galerucella in the person of a Pentatomide 

 Bug (sub-family Asopinse), Macrohaphis sp.? The larv?e 

 of this bug are beautifully coloured metallic blue with 

 orange red markings. On January 10th, 1919, and sub- 

 sequent days I found the larvae of this bug in numbers on 

 yoimg plants of Celtis Kraussiana at Winkle Spruit on 

 our JSouth Coast. With hardly an exception every bug larva 

 was busily engaged in absorbing the juices from the body 

 of a Galerucella larva. I was also interested in finding 

 one mature bug employed on the same useful task. I 

 have taken also this species of bug on Kaflir-Boom 

 {Erythrina caffra, Thb.), where it probably carries out 

 the sanje useful role of thinning down the numerous 

 Galerueid, Halticid and Hispid beetles which feed upon 

 the foliage of this tree. The Kaffir-boom is often as com- 

 pletely defoliated as Celtis Kraussiana, but the chief cul- 

 prit in this case is the common yellow and black cater- 

 pillar of the Saturnid moth, TJrota sinope, Westr. 



In •' Insecta Transvaalensia ", page 209, under the 

 description of Oxyrachis tarandus, Fabr. (Membracidae) 

 Mr. Distant gives a long quotation from a letter from 

 Mr. Bell Marleyof his observations on the development 

 of this Homopteron, in which es])ecial refei'ence is made 

 to the habits of certain small red ants in tending the 

 immature Membracids from which they appeared to 

 obtain a liquid or secretion that was pleasing to them. 

 In fact^ that the behaviour of the ants towards the 

 Membracids appears to be analogous with that towards 

 the Aphids. I have two recent observations that boar 

 out thi;^ point of view. At the Umgeni Mouth on IGth 

 June 1918, I came across a considerable number of the 

 young, of Avhat appears to be some small species of the 

 family Fulgoridae sub-family Cixiinae? Unfortunately, 

 there were no imagines present to refer to for identifica- 

 tion. These insects, some rather large species of ants 



