( XX. X ) 



favourable, as there is bound to have been a great mortality 

 amongst young birds. Two young owls, full-fledged and fend- 

 ing for themselves, that frequented my coffee plantation were 

 both found dead, emaciated and with empty stomachs. 

 Directly it must have been very unfavourable to butterflies 

 at any rate : it will be interesting to note the numbers in 

 which they appear later."] 



The Sesias mimics and not models op the Hymenoptera. 

 —Prof. Poulton said that he wished to draw attention to an 

 unfortunate misconception in the recently issued part of 

 M. Charles Oberthtir's beautiful work, tk Etudes de Lepido- 

 pterologie comparee," Fasc. xiv, 1917. On p. 131 M. Oberthur 

 makes the following statement in a passage kindly translated 

 by Mr. E. A. Elliott :— 



" All insect hunters have testified (constate) that the Sesias 

 are imitated by a considerable number of insects of various 

 Orders, especially Hymenoptera and Diptera, but also Ortho- 

 ptera. These insects, mimicking the external appearance of 

 the Sesias, live at the same time and in the same places as 

 they do. When searching at Monterfil for that same Sesia 

 uroceriformis which I have already mentioned several times, 

 1 have been entirely deceived by the flies and even by grass- 

 hoppers which, when among the clumps of furze, present an 

 appearance analogous to that of the Lepidoptera. I fancied 

 first that I saw a Sesia, but was never long before I detected 

 the deception caused by this mimicry." 



Prof. Poulton said that it was important to correct this 

 statement as promptly as possible. So far from the view 

 expressed above being the generally received one, it was the 

 first time he had heard of it, and it was contradicted by 

 all the names ending in -form is which were so plentiful in 

 the group. It was unnecessary to refer to the number of 

 memoirs in which the Sesias were spoken of as mimics of the 

 Hymenoptera. 



Harpagomyia and other Diptera fed by Cremasto- 

 gaster axis ix S. Nigeria. — Prof. Poulton said that he 

 had just received a letter from Mr. C. 0. Farquharson, dated 

 Dec 13, litIT, from Ibadan, describing this most remarkable 

 a ociation in an entirely new part of the world. Mr. Donis- 



