BEETLES 309 



Many Braconids are coral pink and black, and they 

 also are mimicked by small Longicorns. On Bugalla 

 I obtained model ^ and mimic ^ at the same spot and 

 time, and also a small Capsid bug,' equally mimetic. 



Fireflies are interesting beetles, but, having read much 

 about the wonder of tropical fireflies, I was much dis- 

 appointed on the islands ; only a few were seen at a 

 time, belonging to a species looking much like the male 

 of the English glow-worm, and I have seen a much better 

 display in the spring on the Riviera. 



Wood-boring beetles are a great nuisance in a house 

 constructed of freshly cut boughs and stems of trees ; 

 the rafters are soon penetrated in every direction by 

 tunnels, from the open mouths of which a continuous 

 stream of the finest sawdust falls and soon covers any- 

 thing left lying for long in one place. 



Quite the most remarkable beetle met with on the 

 islands belongs to the aberrant family Lymexylonidae,^ 

 it several times appeared in my hut in the evening, 

 flying with sonorous buzz, and the first time I saw it 

 puzzled me not a little, for it was like no beetle I had 

 ever seen or heard of at that time. 



The very long, thin body was quite soft and flexible, 

 and a very short pair of wing covers entirely failed to 

 cover a long pair of wings with stout longitudinal 

 rays so that they folded like the wings of a grass- 

 hopper, but then projected far behind the covers. The 

 legs were long and thin, and the antennae short, with 

 broad flat segments. 



Neuroptera. 



Dragon flies are, of course, abundant on the lake shore, 

 but I do not think they are any more noteworthy than 



^ Not yet identified. 



• Dirphya, species near pascoei, Lamiidae. 



• KolopeUis bergrothi. * Atractocervs brevicornis. 



