220 SPOLIA ZBYLANICA. 



recognized in Ceylon. A long series of this species was taken in 

 the moth traps. 



In the last number of the Journal of the Bombay Nat. Hist. 

 Soc. (vol. XVI., No. 4, p. 74:7) is a note by Capt. Nangle, describ- 

 ing an attack by flies upon flying Termites in India. A similar 

 occurrence was noticed one night at Telulla, when a flight of 

 winged Termites invaded the tent of my moth trap. Imme- 

 diately following the "White Ants" came a number of Muscid 

 flies which proceeded to pounce upon them. They did not 

 attempt to carry away their prey, but commenced to feed upon 

 them there and then, piercing their helpless victims between the 

 segments of the abdomen. Specimens of this fly have been sent 

 to Europe for determination. 



. Beating for moths, in the daytime, was made difficult by the 



presence of enormous numbers of the common Noctuid Amyna 



aelenampha, which rose in clouds whenever the undergrowth 



was disturbed. We saw several trees stripped of their leaves by 



the larvae of this moth. Fortunately this species did not fly at 



night or — at any rate — respected our moth traps. 



Our traps were pitched, one night, on the bund of the Telulla 



tank. Behind us was an abandoned paddy field. As soon as the 



lamps were lighted myriads of frogs joined in a deafening 



chorus which soon became so intolerable that we had to stop our 



ears with cotton wool. 



Reptiles were not much in evidence. But we surprised a large 



specimen of Dendrophis pictus swallowing a full-grown lizard 



{Galotes versicolor). Younger examples of this snake are said to 



feed upon grasshoppers. A fine example of the large rough 



tailed snake — Uropeltis g7'andis — was picked up on the cart road 



where it was engaged in extracting grubs from a pat of cow 



dung. 



E. ERNEST GREEN. 



6. On the Species of Leaf Insects {PhylliincB) occurring in 

 Ceylon. — Mr. W. F. Kirby, in his recently issued " Synonymic 

 Catalogue of Orthoptera," credits Ceylon with three distinct 

 species of this subfamily of Phas)nidoe. These are, — Pulchri. 

 phyllium agathyrsus, Gray ; Pulchriphyllium cruri folium, Serv., 

 and Phyllium athanysus, Westw. 



I have recently submitted specimens of our commoner species 

 to Mr. Kirby, for an authentic determination. There has hitherto 

 been considerable confusion in the nomenclature ; the commonest 

 Ceylon species having been variously referred to under the names 



