( ^H ) 



*'0n a recent trip (Sept. 1903) to the North-eastern 

 Kalahari, we noticed on our first outspan, about eight miles 

 west of Palapye Road Station, an awful stench, which, how- 

 ever, passed off after a time. It turned out afterwards that 

 it emanated from some ants living in trees. We noticed them 

 again at Serowe, Khama's capital, but unfortunately there was 

 no opportunity then to make any detailed observations and we 

 did not meet with them again, although I was told that they 

 are not uncommon in Khama's country. Recently a friend of 

 mine, Mr, S. Blackbeard, of Serowe, sent me some from 

 Mapellapveda, about forty-five miles N.W. of Palapye Road 

 Station, and I forward a few of them to you by this post. I 

 have never come across any notice of them. Have you? 

 They open up a wide field of biological enquiry. How do 

 they produce the stench which comes near that awful stench 

 of the well-known Caralluma lutea {an Asclepiad plant) found 

 in the same neighbourhood 1 Can they let off their artillery 

 at will? Do they use it as a means of defence, or, like 

 their friend the Asclepiad, do they mean it to attract 

 flies ? " 



The President exhibited a cluster of the green eggs of 

 Vanessa urticx fixed to the under-side of a small leaf towards 

 the summit of a nettle-stem. The cryptic resemblance of the 

 eggs to their environment was very remarkable. The eggs 

 had been sent for exhibition to the Society by Mr. A. H. 

 Hamm of the Hope Department, Oxford University Museum. 

 The following observations upon the oviposition of a part of 

 the exhibited egg-mass were recorded by Mr. Hamm : — 



" While walking along the Shotover Road near Oxford on 

 Sunday moi-ning last (May 29), ray attention was directed to a 

 specimen of Vanessa wtiae which was sitting motionless with 

 wings expanded horizontally on the upper-side of a small leaf 

 near the top of a nettle-stem. On looking more closely I 

 found that the butterfly was engaged in ovipositing, the 

 abdomen being curved round the edge of the leaf so that the 

 eggs were deposited upon the under surface. When first seen 

 she had laid about half of the batch now exhibited. Although 

 the cluster does not present any approach to a regular form, 

 the butterfly was apparently always very careful to feel with 



