( xiii ) 



of the brilliant red colouring which is so striking in fresh 

 specimens during life. The darker specimens resemble Prof. 

 Westwood's acontias. Occasionally seen flying high, atolmis is 

 more common nearer the ground, being much addicted to 

 drinking from wet mud on the banks of the Zambesi, or at 

 patches of irrigation in the hotel garden. 



4. A. atergatis, Westw. The two types of tliis are in the 

 Hope Collection at Oxford, having been taken by F, Gates 

 near the Victoria Falls in January, 1875. There are also two 

 specimens in the National collection. Dr. Dixey took four 

 specimens near the Falls. 



The other three species exhibited were commoner and fell 

 to the nets of Dr. Dixey, Professor Poultoj3,and the exhibitor. 



Professor E. B. Poulton, F.R.S., exhibited two Diptera, 

 which had been observed following the bee, Andrena labialis, 

 Kirb., by Mr. A. H. Hamm, assistant in the Hope Depart- 

 ment, Oxford University Museum. The specimens have been 

 compnred with Mr. G. H. Verrall's collection and identified 

 as Chortophila ^inilineata, Ztt., by Mr. J. E. Collin. Mr. 

 Hamm's notes were as follows : — 



"During the afternoon of May 27th, 1900, I was sitting 

 watching a fairly numerous colony of Andrena labialis, 

 nidificating on the sloping side of a small clay pit, near 

 Bagley Wood, Oxford. My attention was arrested by the 

 surprising behaviour of a fly, which kept following up a 9 bee in 

 the mo.'it persistent manner. The bee seemed conscious of the 

 attention of the fly, and instead of making direct for the 

 burrow, it zigzagged about and sometimes alighted on the 

 ground, as if endeavouring to get rid of its pursuer ; but 

 the fly was not to be shaken off ; for it followed the bee in 

 all its movements, settling on the ground and resuming its 

 flight at the same time as the Aculeate. Throughout this 

 persistent pursuit the fly kept at a fairly uniform distance 

 of about six inches behind the bee. I saw about six of these 

 flies altogether, but no single bee was followed by more than 

 a single fly. I netted the two flies exhibited by Pi-ofessor 

 Poulton, in one case capturing pursuer and pursued at a 

 single sweep." 



Professor Poulton stated that new and interesting light 



