( xxxii ) 



i herein a work of somewhat forbidding exterior described as 

 'A Monograph of the Culicidae of the World,' by F. V. 

 Theobald (vol. v), in which, on pp. 517 et seqq., I shall find out 

 all about it. Mrs. Connal assures me that it is at least a 

 new Nigerian record. She had never met a Harpagomyia 

 before — it is //. trichorostris, Theobald — but there can be no 

 doubt that that is the correct identity of my find. And 

 there, on p. 548, it is set down without comment, ' They are 

 myrmecophilous insects ' ! If the British Museum hadn't 

 bound that work in such a cover, I'd probably have found it 

 out for myself. I am ashamed to confess that I had never 

 even looked inside it. The book, of course, is devoted to 

 melancholy facts of existence out here, which is one reason 

 why I didn't care to look into it, but really publishers ought 

 to exhibit a little more psychological insight. It really is a 

 pity that it has not as worthy a cover as, for instance, 

 ' Wheeler on Ants.' I am puzzled about the name Harpa- 

 gomyia, which I take to be derived from apTrd^oi, to seize, 

 and fivia, a fly. The name suggests a synechthran rather 

 than a symphile. From my observations I should class it 

 as a symphile rather than a synechthran. Wheeler's biblio- 

 graphy makes no reference to Meijere, but the latter's de- 

 scription of the genus would, I imagine, have just about 

 synchronised with Wheeler's publication. At the worst it is 

 a mild e'x^pa, in the form of highway robbery without violence, 

 if not indeed mere alms solicitation by a sturdy beggar." 



Dec. 23, 1917. — "I reached the tree just after ten; 1 had 

 seen an Iridopsis larva yesterday which I thought I might 

 safely leave for a day or two, and went along to see that it 

 was all right. I hope it is, for I regret to say I couldn't find 

 it again. I may, however, find the pupa on further search. 

 I saw quite half a dozen Argiolaus pupae (the ' gall ' species). 

 I saw their larvae coming down a day or two ago. One I 

 found to lie parasitised by a Cordyceps, only the conidial 

 (Isaria) stage being present. I next examined a half-calabash 

 of water that 1 had placed in a hollow of the tree to see 

 whether any mosquitoes had oviposited- 1 am in hopes of 

 inducing Harpagomyia to do so. I failed to get one in the 

 house. I found a number of "rafts." but 1 don't think they 



