The Life History of Clythra quadri-pundata. 17 



the anterior pair of legs, the body being held well away 

 from it. The egg, which was held in the depression of the 

 abdomen, is covered with excrement, which is smoothed, 

 patted and arranged into the required shape by the posterior 

 tarsi. When finished the egg is dropped. I obtained 

 altogether a number of these covered eggs, as well as some 

 naked ones, but they were always dropped to the ground. 

 The $ does not appear to lay continuously, but to drop the 

 eggs at intervals. 



As Father Wasman records finding specimens at Exaeten, 

 in Holland, " die zur Eidblage die Nestcr hcsitclitcn," I 

 wrote and asked him if he had ever seen the $ laying. He 

 replied as follows : " I have not seen the $ $ entering the 

 nests, nor have I seen the act of oviposition. But I have 

 found them sitting over the nest — for example, on grass 

 stems overmounting the nests. I have also several times 

 seen Clythra, freshly developed, attacked by the ants ; they 

 'feigned death,' contracted their legs, and are probably pro- 

 tected also by their distasteful blood (the same as in 

 Timarcha, whose secretion seems to be a means of defence, 

 especially for many ChrysovielidiB). Relics of Clythra 

 devoured by the ants I have even found in the nests." 

 These remarks confirm my own observations. I may here 

 record the experiments I carried out to prove the distaste- 

 fulness, or otherwise, of this beetle. On June 9th I took 

 a number of specimens of Clythra quadri-piinctata to the 

 Zoological Gardens, aad offered them to the following 

 creatures with the results recorded. 



A white-backed trumpeter ate a Clythra, but it was 

 evidently distasteful to it, and it refused to touch another. 

 The other birds of the same species refused to eat any at all. 



Some wood-swallows, after much pecking at and re- 

 jecting the beetles, eventually ate them ; the keeper how- 

 ever said the birds were hungry, and the beetles were 

 evidently not to their taste. 



The lapwing pecked at Clythra, but eventually refused 

 it, rubbing the beetle into tlie ground with its feet. It 

 then went and washed its bill in some water. 



The snow-bunting and house-sparrow both pecked at 

 and killed Clythra, but refused to eat it. 



The racket-tailed drongo was the only creature that 

 ate Clythra readily, but this bird appears to eat anything 

 that is given to it. 



The marmosette took a Clythra from its keeper, and put 



TEANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1902. — PART I. ( APRIL) 2 



