314 SUNDRY INSECTS 



quantity of the fluid I have never suffered in any way 

 from it. No doubt it would be excessively unpleasant 

 in the mouth or eyes of an enemy. The Semukutu is 

 a large, fat, bloated creature destitute of any trace of 

 wings, and with spiny thorax. Young specimens are 

 often greenish, but the adult is dull brownish grey. It 

 is a very sluggish insect, and freely exposes itself as it 

 crawls heavily about. 



Acrididae. — Large and powerful grasshoppers of this 

 family, species of Cyrtacanthacris, are known as " Ama- 

 jansi " to the Baganda. Some of them are several inches 

 long, and were apparently much esteemed as food by 

 the monkeys. They were not noticeably abundant on 

 aU the small islands visited, but seemed to be so on 

 Kerenge, where the beautiful bright blue kingfisher that 

 feeds on them was much in evidence. 



Blattidae. — Cockroaches of many species were common 

 among dead leaves in the forest, but one saw little of 

 them except when the " Safari ant " was out hunting. 

 Then the unfortunate cockroaches, driven from their 

 lairs, rushed hither and thither in frantic desperation, 

 and in such a state of panic that they often tumbled 

 head over heels, and the more easily fell a prey to the 

 host of ants, which at once tore them to pieces. Some 

 curious species may be found half buried in loose dry 

 earth at the base of trees ; absolutely wingless, they 

 look much like huge woodlice. 



Dermaptera. 



The earwig family was not at all well represented on 

 the islands, much to my surprise, for there seemed to 

 be ideal conditions for them. I thought at the time 

 that perhaps this was the rule in equatorial Africa, but 

 later modified this view when on active service in German 

 East Africa, where earwigs were found extraordinarily 



