94 . . SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



sipping honey, but on attempting to capture it I have found myself 

 forestalled, and the specimen already in the jaws of one of these 

 little spiders. 



Other predaceous insects assume the proverbial " sheep's cloth- 

 ing," and imitate the form of the creature upon which they prey. 



{Fig. 10.) An interesting example is that of a large fly {Hypere- 

 chia xylocopiformis) , which so closely resembles a species of " Car- 

 penter Bee " {Xylocojpa fenestrata) as to completely deceive its victim. 

 I have watched one of these flies mount into the air to meet a passing 

 bee, which appears to welcome it as a mate, with fatal results to the 

 bee. ^j One might suppose that the bee could protect itself with its 

 powerful sting, but it discovers its mistake too late, when the fly 

 is firmly perched on its back and has driven its sharp beak into the 

 body of its victim. 



It is possibly the same purpose that has led to the similarity of 

 colour and pattern between two distinct insects of the bug tribe 

 {Antihchus nigripes and Serinetha augur), for the former preys upon 

 the latter. 



Another device employed by one family of predaceous bugs is to 

 cover their bodies with dust and small particles of rubbish until they 

 look like anything but living insects. In this disguise they lie in 

 wait and pounce upon their prey — other small insects — or are able 

 to creep up within striking distance without being observed. 



In these few examples of mimicry that I have described I have 

 touched but the fringe of a most interesting and complicated subject. 

 There are endless other instances to be seen around us by any 

 intelligent observer. In fact it is probable that fully one-half of 

 the insects that exist in Ceylon exhibit in some degree one or other 

 of the several forms of mimicry. 



