The Bionomics of South African Insects. 535 



M. Group of Ant-lihc Insects cajyinrecl together (Repre- 

 sented 1| times the natural size on Plate XIX), 



["Can^poiiotus seiiceus (fig. 54) ; C. 

 Hymexoi'TERA Formicidiv \ cosinicus (figs. 55, 56) ; C. sp. 



i (fig. 53). 



Hemiptera. PyrrhocoridiB Megapetiis atratus (figs. 57, 58). 



Orthoptera Locustidm Myrmeconhaua ? fallax (fig. 59). 



The above insects were all caught on the same day 

 (Feb. 17, 1901) on a single plant — a small bushy vetch. 

 The Pyrrhocorid habitually frequents this plant, being 

 fond of sucking the young pods ; the ants are more or 

 less ubiquitous, but are principally attracted to this vetch 

 by the juice which exudes from the injuries made by the 

 bug ; the Myrmccophana, which is apparently a very rare 

 insect, was probably only a chance visitor. The latter, in 

 spite of its long antennae, bears a very strong resem- 

 blance to an ant, and might very readily be passed over 

 for one of these insects ; it is probably a Batesian mimic. 

 The bug is not nearly so ant-like in its mature form 

 (wiiich is shown in Plate XIX) as in its earlier stages, at 

 which period the similarity is most striking both in shape 

 and movements. The insect is a comparatively common 

 one, and the mimicry has probably a Mlillerian character. 



[Tlie f()llowing extracts from letters refer to this in- 

 teresting group. Mr. Malcolm Burr, to whom I have 

 shown the Locustid, thinks that it may be the same 

 species as J/. /(('//(I,/-, inasmuch as the habits of the latter 

 are not certainly known, and the green marking which 

 obliterates the unant-like parts of the body-form had 

 faded to a pale yellowish tint much like that of the 

 corresponding parts of the specimen described by Brunner 

 von Wattenwyl (verhandl. d, K. K. Zool.-botan. Ges. in 

 Wien, Bd. xxxiii, 1883, PI. XV, figs, la and l/>).— E. B. P.] 



Sa/isbury, April 25, 1899. — The Locustid ant-mimicker 

 Myrmccopliana occurs both here (Mashonaland) and in 

 Natal, though very rarely, but it is perhaps a different 

 species from M. fallax. It does not live on the ground 

 but on low jDlants, which are also frequented by the ant it 

 mimics, and the light parts are pale green ; we have also 

 a bu2f which mimics the same ant. 



Salisbury, April 19, 1901. — I expect you will be glad to 

 have an example of 3Iyrmecophana, it makes a grand 

 series with the ants and bugs ; the two latter can often be 



