(52 tMarct, 



A Jumping Coronn. - Some years ago I received from Cape Towu a number 

 of the cocoons known in the colony as "jumping eggs" or "jumping beans," 

 belonging to the Tineid Scyrotis athleta Meyr., and described in the " Annals of 

 the South African Museum," Vol. V, p. 378 (1909). These cocoons are hard 

 oval bodies, and possess the power, when placed on a level surface, of leaping a 

 foot or more by the action of the pupa inside. The pupae Avere alive when 

 received, and I experimented with the cocoons by placing them on a table in 

 the sunshine ; I found that this stimulated their activity, and that the leaps 

 made were in the large majority of cases in the direction away from the sun. 

 It appears probable, therefore, that the purpose of the habit is to enable the 

 cocoon, when (as described) it falls to the ground from the I'ood-plant, to escape 

 from the hot African siin into some place of shelter, and the discomfort caused 

 by tlie heat would be a siifficient incitement to effort. I failed to rear any of 

 the moths, possibly from insufficient warmth' or other unsuitable climatic con- 

 ditions. — Edward Metbick, Thornhanger, Marlboi-ough : February loth, 1917. 



Dimorphic variation in a South African Tineid. — The following instance of 

 variation in a species of Eretmocera (Heliodinidae) may interest some who are 

 not otherwise concerned with South African insects. The forms in question will 

 be found figured and described (as species) in a paper by Lord Walsingham in 

 the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London for 1889. I had for 

 some time suspected, from the sameness of their local distribution, that several 

 of these were not specifically distinct ; but in justice to Zeller, who first des- 

 cribed some of them, it should be mentioned that he also had suspicions of it, 

 without the advantage of this knowledge. I recently received from Mr. A. J. T. 

 Janse, of Pretoria, for examination, a very large number of Titieina, mostly 

 taken dxiring a tour in Natal ; amongst these were fine examples of four of 

 these forms {fuscipennis Z., niiniata- Wals., derogatella Walk., and lunifera Z.), 

 which proved to have been all taken in the same locality on the same day. Of 

 these, fuscipennis and miniata were taken in cop., being J and ? ; derogatella 

 and lunifera constitute a precisely similar pair ( c? and $ ), except that in both 

 the carmine areas of abdomen and hind-wings are replaced by deep yellow. Now 

 in all specimens that I have seen these areas have been either carmine or yellow, 

 and not an intermediate colour, but I possess an example in which the abdomen 

 is yellow and the hind-wings are carmine. I think, therefore, there can be little 

 doubt that these four forms are referable to a single species, for which fusci- 

 pennis Z. is the earliest name. It would appear further tha,t dorsistrigata Wals. 

 is only a slight variety of the lunifera form, and carteri Wals. of the fuscipennis 

 form. The yellow forms are by no means the result of fading, being found in 

 as fresh condition as the others, but may depend on some slight chenaical action. 

 — Edward Meybick : February 15th, 1917. 



Sawjlies collected near London during 1915-16. — During the last two years 

 I have collected a number of miscellaneous Hymenoptera, the majority of which 

 are referable to the family Tenth redinidae. These have been determined 

 through the kindness of the Kev. F. D. Morice, who suggests my making a 



