68 THE entomologist's KECORD. 



Chloroi)u/ia foniiosn, Chrifsotoxiiin italiciiiii (very small), Bombijlvts 

 discnlor and B. mediiis (same species as near Tunis). 



One wet morning we took the boat on the subterranean lake and 

 caught a large number of bats and their parasites. Mr. H. Scott has 

 identified the Nycteribiidae as follows : — 



On Mijotia oxijiinatlms, Monticelli, PenicilUdia diifouri, Westw., 

 ^ $ 2 , Nycteribia (Acroc/iolidia) ve.fata, Westw., 3' 2 (typical or var.), 

 and A''. {Lhtropodia) pedictdaria, Latr., 3 (J 3 $ . These came 

 from about a dozen of the host species, which was extremely 

 abundant. On Ehinolophus ettryale, Blasius, A. (Stylidia) biar- 

 ticitlatii, Hermann, ^ — only one parasite on a dozen bats. On 

 Minioptenis schreibersi, Kuhl, A". [Lhtropodia) schiiiidti, Schiner, 

 2 2 ; the bat was not common, and only about three were secured. 

 Some Streblid flies await determination. All the bats were determined 

 by Oidfield Thomas. It is noteworthy that though one host harboured 

 three parasitic species, yet no parasite was taken on more than one 

 host, even though the bats were living in the same cave in large 

 numbers. It is, however, to be remembered that the RhinolopliKs and 

 Miniiiptvrus lived solitarily, or at most in twos and threes, while the 

 yiyotu occurred in extraordinary numbers on the roof of the cave in 

 one place, but did not appear to sleep elsewhere. All the Nycteribiids 

 are known from Europe, though the same is not true of the bats. 



Mr. Robert Gurney, one of my travelling companions, found a colony 

 of Embiid larvae under a stone. As these insects are still alive, and as 

 they have not yet completed their metamorphosis, I am. unable to 

 give their names. A short note on these and other Algerian Kmbiidae 

 will be found in Proc. Ent. Soc. Loud., 1913, p. Iviii. 



I cannot turn from Hammam Meskoutine without giving some 

 notice to the plants which characterise this limestone region. The 

 stream beds I have already referred to. The meadow-like spots beside 

 them are full of Borciyo, Cerinthe, Calendula, Adonis, Convolridtta 

 altliaeifolin, besides several Centaureae, and innumerable Leguminous 

 plants. The high country and the ridges between the streams are 

 dry and rather barren. The vegetation does not form a continuous 

 carpet. A great deal of the dryer part of the country is planted with 

 olives. 



On April 2nd we went by train to Taya and climbed the mountain 

 of that name. This spot is a locim daasicKs for ornithologists, the 

 haunt of griffons and kites, and eagles and choughs in considerable 

 numbers. No Lepidoptera were taken. The ant Aphenoyaster teata- 

 ceopilosa occurred. On the very top (4,000 ft.) I took the earwig- 

 Anisulabis iiiauretanica 2 , the Blattids Hol<daiiipra inaryinata, nymph 

 (?), and Loboptera decipriens, Germar, the last in numbers. The large 

 grasshopper L'auiphayiis elephas was found. This insect when alive is 

 of a delicate blue-green, lined with whitisJi at various salient points. 

 This sounds cryptic, especially as it occurred among a tall yellowish 

 grass, which I fancy is halfa-gi^ass. In actual fact, however, the insect 

 was extremely conspicuous, his blue-green colouring rendering him 

 most noticeable on the yellow-green halfa. The whitish " facings," 

 especially on the dorsal crest, acted as a definite boundary line, and are 

 in part responsible for this. 



On April 4th we left Hammam Meskoutine for Batna. A two 

 hours' wait at Kroub in the middle of the day enabled us to take a few 



