92 THE ENTOIMOLOGIST. 



over it. Presently it settled on the water,. the wings being held up 

 clear of the surface and rapidly vibrated. On my trying to catch it 

 it rose and circled round, but soon settled again. After a few seconds 

 it let its wings lie flat on the surface, and thinking that it would be 

 now unable to rise I again attempted to catch it, but it rose without diffi- 

 culty and flew away. The moth was about the size, shape and colour 

 of Deilepliila eivpJiorhice, and as I had previously found the larvae of 

 that moth close by I imagine it to have been of that species, but 

 cannot say for certain. Is not this a somewhat unusual habit ? — 

 F. B. Scott, Major I. A. 



Cicadas at Quetta, Baluchistan. — At Quetta, from the 15th to 

 the end of June, 1918, there was a regular plague of Cicadas. A 

 certain road, running out of Quetta for about five miles, was lined 

 with small mulberry and a few willow and other trees. The trunks 

 and branches of these trees were so closely studded with the Cicadas 

 that they appeared gnarled and discoloured. When a motor car 

 passed along the road the insects continually rose in a swarm, re- 

 sembling a swarm of large bees. The ground on either side of the 

 road was pitted with the holes of the pupge, and the empty pupal 

 cases clung in dozens to every plant and shrub. In the evening the 

 noise near the trees was deafening. The imagines were about two 

 inches long, coloured yellow with red markings, but unfortunately I 

 was unable to identify the species. On being disturbed they squirted 

 a clear white fluid from the abdomen. If a drop of this entered the 

 eye it caused smarting and irritation. In spite of this, dogs, cats and 

 chickens all eat them with relish. At about the end of June they 

 began to die ofl", and the ground under the trees was littered with 

 their bodies. Some of the smaller trees were so damaged by their 

 attacks that they lost their leaves. — F. B. Scott, Major I. A. 



The late C. A. Beiggs's Neukoptera : an Explanation. — The 

 executors, who have just sold this collection en bloc, call my attention 

 to the statement in the current number of the ' Entomologist ' that 

 some Neuroptera were recently presented by me to the South London 

 Natural History Society. My note, handed in at the time, stated 

 that they had been received from the " late C. A. Briggs." Unfortu- 

 nately an editorial emendation has made this "from the late C. h.. 

 Briggs's collection," which conveys quite a different meaning. When 

 Mr. Briggs was living in this village many Neuroptera, etc., were 

 given him by nie, but nothing received in exchange, except much kind 

 assistance in identifying things. He was then aware that mine was 

 entirely a "one man" collection, but after removing to Devon appears 

 to have forgotten this. A letter from him is before me, dated July 

 26th, 1897, acknowledging some Gomphus, and stating he was work- 

 ing hard at the Perlidie and would return the box later. So far as 

 my recollection goes, it was some little time afterwards when he re- 

 turned the box with the Perlida3, etc., and a note stating that he 

 objected to sending an empty box. This would make the date more 

 than twenty years ago. In the interval grease has destroyed some 

 specimens, and the remainder have found a resting-place in one of the 

 South London Society's cabinets. After his return from a Eannoch 



