] 70 [August, 



finger-like lobes radiating- from its sides and ends ; tliey are about 

 0"08 mm. long, the slit abo\it half that length. Their structure is, 

 however, obviously much more coinplicated than this short description 

 suggests. The cremaster consists of about 150 anchor-hooks, the ends 

 rounded and the points much incui'vcd. They are a1)0ut 0'04 long and 

 rather stout. 



These last abdominal segments of Lycaenid pupae are always 

 difficult to distinguish. Here the 8th, 9tli (and 10th?) are ventrally 

 coalesced into a narrow portion about 0'07 mm. across. Dorsally and 

 laterally what looks like 8 and O^carry the hooks, and centrally is a clear 

 area that must be part of lOtli. 



The sear of the honey-gland is very obvious in the mounted pupa-skin, 

 but is too overloaded with dirt or debris to be fit for photographing. 



The following are Captain Buxton's observations. I have added an 

 article and verb here and there, where they had been omitted for brevity', 

 and otherwise only a word or two that seemed more suitaljle when 

 brevity was so far eliminated : — 



IPood of til e larva, Zizyplms spina-cliristi (?). — A common tree in 

 gardens and about villages — the fruit is eaten and the tree commonly 

 planted throughout Mesopotamia. The larva, which is always to be 

 found on the underside of the leaf, the pale dorsal streak often not 

 coinciding with one of the three main ribs of the leaf, eats long patches 

 through the lower epidermis and ]mrenchyma, so that they show white 

 when dry. They eat slowly forward, making gi-ooves slightly wider 

 than themselves. In captivity they keep to the (morphological) luider 

 surface of the leaf, even when the leaf is turned over, so presumably 

 they choose it not so much for ])rotection from light and enemies as 

 because the lower epidermis is thinner and easier to eat. 



The larvae feed up rapidly on young leaves, e. g., a larva found 

 June 12th, 1918, 2 mm. in length, on a slight web on the under sm'faee 

 of a leaf, and very lethargic, shed prepenultimate skin June 15th, 

 penultimate on 19th, and pupated on 23rd. In general the larvae are 

 active for Lycaenids, often quite frisky some 24 houi-s before moulting 

 or pupating. 



J^Iyrmeco'plnl }j . — A small black ant (^Plapolepis fijgmaect*, teste 



* Mr. H. Powell has just sent me specimens of this ant, found by him attending some larvae of 

 Theator balliia at Hy&res, for naming b_v Mr. Donisthoriie, wlio say a it is known to attend jiphides 

 but these are the first records of its association with Lepidoptera. 



