( lxvi ) 



Hyena. The nuisance became so great that I was driven to 

 m\ bedroom to seek the protection of the mosquito curtains 

 with the lights turned low. and in Biblical language 'they 

 took up of the remains several baskets full,' that is, the 

 ' fttehter ' weeper — in the morning swept up a huge quantity 

 of wings. I have experienced several incidents of this character, 

 hut this was a. real " Brock's Benefit ' in White Ants." 



Messrs. Neave, Green and Bacot commented on the 

 edibility of Termites. 



British captures of Polistes gallica, L. — Prof. Poulton 

 said that he had received the following note from Mr. (.'. A. 

 James Rothney, referring to the captures of Polistes gallica 

 reported in the Entom. Proc. for 1916, pp. lxvi, Ixvii : — ■ 



k " The following note may be of some interest. Charles 

 Home, B.S.C., of Mainpuri, the author of a joint paper with 

 Frederick Smith on ' Aculeate Hymenoptera of the N.W. 

 Provinces, India/ is reputed to have captured Polistes gallica 

 in the West of England in 1870-71. Frederick Smith told me 

 of the capture in 1871. and evidently believed in its being 

 genuine. He showed me at his house, 27 Richmond Crescent, 

 Islington, a box of captures of English Aculeates made by 

 Home. I remember it distinctly; it was a rough square box 

 of Indian make, and in one corner were several specimens of 

 Polistes gallica — said by Home to be English. Frederick 

 Smith evidently believed in Home's statement. At the same 

 time he wished to follow it up further in case Home might 

 have mixed his English with Continental captures, as he had 

 been staying on the Continent. Home was quite positive 

 about their being English and West of England — either Devon 

 or Dorset. Frederick Smith arranged with me to go down the 

 following year, 1872, to search for it thoroughly, and pro- 

 mised me he would get further particulars of the exact locality 

 from Home. It was a general custom with Frederick Smith 

 to follow up his lead in this way, when his own Museum 

 holidays would not permit his visiting the locality at the 

 right time, as in the case of the sexes of F. exsecta at Bourne- 

 mouth in 1808, but in Feb. 1872 I left for India, and the plan 

 fell through." 



