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exhibited (a) specimens of a large and conspicuous Mydaid fly, 

 Mydas ruficornis, Wied., which show a striking resemblance 

 when on the wing to the large and powerfully armed Scoliid 

 wasps so common throughout Ceylon. This fly was first found 

 in Colombo by Mr. 0. S. Wickwar, whose collecting-boys 

 brought him specimens Avhen sent out to capture Hymenoptera, 

 and a single example was obtained by the exhibitor at 

 Yala (S.E. Ceylon). "When on the wing, the resemblance to 

 a Scoliid is very close and deceptive, the likeness being 

 generally Scoliiform, rather than mimetic of any particular 

 species of Scolia. (b) A red spider (taken at Galle on October 

 26th, 1908), found on a "bilimbi" tree (Averrhoa hilimhi), up 

 the trunk of Avhich numbers of the common leaf-nesting red 

 ant, Oeco2jhylla smaragdina — a model for several different 

 insects and spiders — were running. In life the resemblance 

 is extremely close and the ant holds up its first pair of legs 

 to mimic the antennae of its model, (c) Some newly-hatched 

 Mantids, upon which the following note was made. " May 

 \2)th, 1908, at Madidsima. — On passing a tea-bush my attention 

 was called to what were apparently several groups of the 

 common leaf -nest ant {Oecophylla smaragdina). They were 

 grouped in masses of about a dozen each, on the terminal 

 shoots of the tea-bush. It struck me as unusual to find this 

 ant at this elevation * (3500 feet), and a closer inspection 

 showed a dark band on the tarsi of the hind-legs. This led 

 me to look more closely still, and I was surprised to find 

 that these supposed ants were really young Mantids. The 

 resemblance, both in colour, size, and the quick jerky move- 

 ments, was so close as to have completely deceived me. The 

 fore-legs were held tucked up in the usual Mantid manner, 

 and the ends of the tibise may imitate the jaws of the ant. 

 The abdomen was curled upwards in quite an ant-like manner. 

 Even taken by itself, one of these young Mantids looks very 

 like an ant ; in a cluster of a dozen or so, aU moving jerkily 

 about but keeping together in a conspicuous position, the 

 resemblance is very greatly increased." 



* I afterwards found nests of 0. smaragdina in the tea-bushes in this 

 same locality, but they are not common at this elevation. Still, they do 

 occur.— T. B. F. 



