Predaceous Insects and their Prey. 



359 



Certain general conclusions of much interest may be 

 reached from the study of the preceding list. 



Proportions of the Sexes. 



Females are far more commonly found with prey than 

 males — being in fact between three and four times as 

 numerous. These results will be found to be curiously 

 reversed in the case of the Umpid/s (p. 888). The following 

 table shows the exact proportion of the two sexes in the 

 recorded examples : — 



Nos. 225 and 226 are omitted from the above table, 

 but the total reaches 226 because three individuals are 

 included under the single No. 117, 



Analysis of the Prey. 



Althougjh conclusions of interest at once suofgest them- 

 selves when the sexes of Asilid victims are studied, the 

 consideration of this part of the subject is postponed until 

 after the accumulation of a far larger number of data. 



Before proceeding to consider the list of Asilid^ in 

 detail it is of importance to analyse the prey as a whole. 

 We shall thus gain a standard with which to compare the 

 habits of particular species and genera of these predaceous 

 flies. 



ANALYSIS OF PREY. 



I. Orthoptera. 



yl(;7'if^Mrf« (Grasshoppers) . . . .13 



Total . . 13 



