130 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Vol. XXVI, 191<J 



At Antigua a colony of the large brightly colored pentatoniid, 

 Viilsirca nigroruhra Spinola, was found upon a small tree with shin- 

 ing green leaves about the size of a cherry leaf. This particular 

 kind of tree which was growing along one of the trails leading up 

 Monk's Hill seemed to be uncommon in the region for only one or 

 two others were discovered in our wanderings about the island. The 

 adult insects are shining blue-black with bright crimson markings 

 and venter, and average from one-half to five-eighths of an inch in 

 length. The brilliant contrasty colors of the insect stand out strik- 

 ingly against the leaves rendering the insect quite conspicuous. The 

 nymphs, of which several from one-half to two-thirds grown were 

 taken, display more of the crimson color and show up even more 

 distinctly than the adults. Whenever a branch or twig upon which 

 one of the insects was resting was disturbed it immediately dropped 

 to the ground where it hid beneath the dried leaves. All the other 

 pentatomids discovered on the island, seventeen species in all, were 

 found upon weeds, grasses or low bushes ; in fact this was the only 

 strictly arboreal form collected on the entire trip. Of the more than 

 sixty specimens of V. nigroruhra secured, but one was taken in the 

 sweep net, the others coming from the colony on this little tree. 



On the salt marshes near English Harbor, Antigua, the dark 

 greenish tiger beetle Cincindcla trifasciata var. tortuosa is found in 

 great numbers. On account of its protective colors the insect is 

 very difficult to see and on account of its agility on the wing is ex- 

 tremely difficult to catch. 



At Calais beach on Barbados and again at Half Moon bay on An- 

 tigua considerable numbers of the almost pure white tiger beetle 

 Cincindcla sittiiralis var. Iicbrcca were collected. At both these 

 places are typical white coral sand beaches and the beetles are quite 

 common. The flight of this species seems not to be so rapid as that 

 of the preceding form and often one may bring the insects to earth 

 with a well-aimed handful of sand. I believe that previous to our 

 visit on Antigua this form had not been recorded from the island. 



In the wooded districts about Antigua the white ants (Isoptera) 

 are very abundant and the covered galleries which look somewhat 

 like grayish vines extend over the branches and trunks of many of 

 the trees. While the insects themselves are blind they seem to have 

 an aversion for the light and so construct these galleries in which 

 they travel from place to place. The runways are made of tiny 

 particles of bark which are scraped from the trees by the insects 

 and then glued together to form a hollow structure which is quite 

 fragile although it resists weathering very well. The nests are 



