( xlvi ) 



natural conditions a strikingly ant-like appearance. D. co7i- 

 cinna is found at Hambantota, Ceylon, on the trunks and 

 branches of the Mustard Tree, Salvadora persica, and other 

 trees ; it is decidedly conspicuous and its quick jerky motions 

 and general appeai^ance combine to make it look like a large 

 black ant. In the Madulsima District the closely- allied I). 

 scitiscahra is common, conspicuous and ant-like, and is usually 

 seen on bare slopes of earth such as the sides of termitaria. 

 The Attid spider (from Galle, Ceylon) may possibly mimic 

 Lobopella, a genus of ants armed with a powerful sting. 



Mass of Bugs eesembling a Flower. — He also exhibited 

 (6) specimens of Dysdercus c'mgulatus, taken at Yala, S.E. 

 Ceylon, on 9th February, 1909. This bug is usually abundant 

 and conspicuous, and Mr. Fletcher had often seen it at Galle clus- 

 tered gregariously in large masses of individuals on walls and 

 tree-trunks, especially on trunks on the " Suriya " tree, Thesj)esia 

 2)opulnea ; it is extremely nauseous, being rejected even by 

 lizards and toads. On this particular occasion, a mass of 

 these bugs, in all stages of development, was clustered around 

 the otherwise bare tip of an upright twig, none occurring 

 separately below the main body, in such a way that the 

 general effect of this mass of red bugs was to resemble at a 

 short distance a scarlet flower growing from the twig ; and 

 (c) a homoeochromatic assemblage composed of an ant, a 

 wasp and a bug {Cavqyonotus lioJosericeus, Pomjnlus arrogans, 

 and DieucUes femoralis), all found together at the same time at 

 Hambantota. All three of these insects run along the 

 ground in the barer sandy patches amongst the bushes in 

 the same jerky sort of way and all are coloured much alike — 

 sufficiently so to have in life quite a noticeable resemblance. 



Beetle Carrier of winged Diptera. — Exhibiting an 

 example of Scarabaeus yancjeticus^iv. Fletcher said that it was 

 one of several captured at Yala, S.E. Ceylon, on Februaiy 9th, 

 1909, when they were Avheeling about swiftly but heavily in 

 the bright sunshine. All these beetles were found to be 

 carrying small winged Diptera (JJorboridae) which were 

 running actively about over the ventral surface of the thorax 

 and abdomen of the beetle and which seemed very loth to use 

 their wings even when the beetle had been caught and was 



