1912.] Miscellanea. 209 
specimen of Cicindela venosa, Koll.,' which was collected in the 
evening after dusk, the only species found in this situation were 
C. angulata, Fabr.,’ C. sumatrensis, Herbst,’ and C. agnata, Fit.*, 
and it is perhaps noteworthy that every specimen caught was of 
a variety with dulled markings, whereas in the longer series of the 
last named species collected near Balyghai most were of the brightly 
marked variety. Whether or not these colour differences really 
depend on the environment I cannot definitely say; but most of 
the specimens from Balyghai were certainly collected on cleaner, 
dryer sand of a pale colour, and a beetle of this species collected 
on clean yellow sand on the bank of a stream near Chakardharpur 
in Chota Nagpur was of the most brilliant type; whilst two speci- 
mens of C. sumatrensts collected at the same place were both more 
brightly marked than those from the muddier sand by the river at 
Cuttack. Above the bank of the river at Cuttack there was an 
open grassy area on which the floods had deposited a thin layer 
of slimy mud. Although continuous with the more sandy river- 
bank it was inhabited only by two species of tiger-beetles neither 
of which were to be found there. These species were C. cognata, 
Wdm., andC. minuta, Oliv. The latter being a small dark brown 
species was very inconspicuous on the mud, and evidently chooses 
mud-banks as its home, for on that part of the bank of the stream 
near Chakardharpur where the sand on which C. agnata and C. 
sumatrensis occurred was replaced by mud, these latter species 
were replaced by C. minuta. C. cognata, on the other hand, 
although dark coloured and not very large, was rendered conspicu- 
ous on the mud by its bluish colour, and I suspect that it nor- 
mally inhabits grassy land such as this had been and would soon 
be again; for on such land its colour would blend excellently with 
its surroundings. 
In conclusion I have to thank Dr. Horn for the identification 
of the beetles collected. Dr. Horn informs me that the tiger- 
beetles of Orissa are as yet but imperfectly known and suggests 
that all the species I collected there should be mentioned in this 
note. To those already referred to I have only to add Collyris 
distincta, Chd. var., on the label attached to which Dr. Horn 
inserts the note ‘‘ palp. lab. ex parte rufis, ect.’’ This form was 
abundant in a clump of trees close to the dak bungalow at Balyghai 
on the shores of the Sur Lake. 
F. HH. -GRAVvETY. 
Schizodactylus monstrosus AS BAIT FOR BIRDS.—Perhaps the 
bait most commonly used by Indian bird-catchers and falconers 
for snaring insect-loving birds like the Roller, etc. is the mole- 
1 See Annandale, loc. cit., p. 13- 
2 See Annandale, loc. cit., p. 15. 
3 See Annandale, loc. cit., p. 14, where it is noticed that this species replaces 
C. btvamosa at a short distance from the sea at Trivandrum just as C. cancellata, 
C. albina and C. agnata do at Balyghai. 
4 See Annandale, loc. cit., p. 13. 
