MISCELLANEA. 
REPTILES. 
NOTES ON THE DAaRJILING SKINK (Lygosoma stkkimense).— 
On several occasions during the ‘‘ rains’? I have found small 
lizard’s eggs hidden in little pockets in the damp moss on tree-trunks 
near Kurseong, without being able to assign them to any species. 
There can now be no doubt that their parentis Lygosoma stkkimense. 
As most skinks are ovoviviparous, the fact is interesting. Two 
clutches of four eggs each were found at an altitude of 4,700 feet 
inthe last week of June. Those of one were allowed to become dry, 
and shrivelled up. The embryos in them were in an early stage of 
development. The other clutch was brought alive to Calcutta 
and apparently lived for about a fortnight, without hatching. 
The eggs were dissected on July 12th and found to contain per- 
fectly formed little lizards, dead but not decomposed. They had 
a stiff but not calcareous white shell and measured 10 mm, X 6 
mm., the ends being equally rounded. ‘The young lizards had 
bright red tails and measured about 37 mm. when stretched out. 
I may here state that I obtained last year a specimen oi 
Stoliczka’s ‘‘ Mocoa sacra,’’ the type of which is in the collection 
of the Indian Museum, from the top of Paresnath Hill in Chota 
Nagpur. An examination of the two specimens, which must have 
been found in closely adjacent spots, shows beyond a doubt that 
the species they represent is identical with Lygosoma stkkimense, 
as Boulenger stated it to be. But I have been able to obtain no 
evidence of the occurrence of this lizard in any locality inter- 
mediate between the Himalayas and Paresnath, which is separated 
from them by the whole breadth of the Ganges valley but is the 
only mountain in Bengal proper that reaches an altitude of over 
4,000 feet. 
N. ANNANDALE, 
Superintendent, Ind. Mus. 
INSECTS. 
COCKROACHES ‘AS PREDATORY INSECTS.—As actual records of 
cockroaches acting as predatory insects appear to be rare, the 
following note has some biological interest. On the evening of 
June oth, during a heavy downpour of rain, numerous termites 
flew into my dining room in Calcutta and were borne to the floor 
by the currents of air set up by the electric fan. As they lay 
struggling many of them fell a prey to a lizard (Hemuvdactylus flavi- 
viridis), while others were devoured by cockroaches (Periplaneta 
