( xii ) 



(leal with such subjects as "The courtship of Limuas chrysip- 

 pus," " The meaning of the sac of female Acriciiix," " A 

 Rhodesian muscicl liy parasitic on man," "Evidence of terror 

 caused by the squeak of A. atropos," etc. 



The material described in the paper illustrates many varied 

 aspects of mimicry, warning colours, and common warning 

 colours from the points of view provided by several very 

 diverse orders of insects. The most stinking contribution to 

 the subject is probably the remarkable group of synaposematic 

 insects Avith a Lycoid colouring (already described on p. ii), 

 and the varied assemblages which are made up by Hymenoptera 

 Aculeata with well-marked types of colouring, each being 

 attended by insects of other orders, many of which are un- 

 doubtedly Mullerian components, while others may be Batesian, 

 although the latter interpretation can only be accepted as 

 probable in a very small proportion of the examples. Among 

 these groups perhaps the most important consists of insects 

 which are entirely black with iridescent blue-black wings. 

 No less than twenty-eight convergent species of Aculeates form 

 the centre of an assemblage, round the periphery of which are 

 scattered Hemiptera, Diptera, Coleoptera {Cantharidse), with 

 a single Zygfenid moth. In another group of almost equal 

 importance the colouring is similar to the last, except that 

 the posterior end of the abdomen is bright yellow or orange. 

 In another the whole abdomen is yellow, and the wings trans- 

 pai'ent : another is similar to the first described Aculeate-centi'ed 

 group, except that the head is red : another differs in having a 

 yellowish head, thorax, etc. Not only the Aculeates but 

 other specially protected South African insects sent by Mr. 

 Marshall form beautiful synaposematic groups, sometimes in- 

 cluded within the limits of a single order, sometimes attracting 

 insects of other orders. Thus one group of conspicuous little 

 beetles consisted of six species of Phytophaga, belonging to 

 six genera, at least one Melyrid, and a Curculionid. The black- 

 and-orange banded Cantharid type comprise many species, 

 and a few different genera of these Coleoptera, together with 

 two Longicorns, two Phytophagous beetles and a Hemipteron, 

 make up a strong and characteristically marked combination. 

 The Hemiptera form well-marked and apparently self-contained 



