( iv ) 



the poison of these large Asilids other Asilids are not much 

 more resistant than flies of other families. There is in the 

 series of Asilids and their prey now sent a male of H. hrunnipes 

 together with its victim an Anthrax, but the captor was itself 

 transfixed by another large Asilid, I believe S. heteroneurus, 

 which escaped. I once saw one of these large Asilids rolHng 

 on the ground struggling with Selidopogon {Dasypogon) 

 crassus, Macq. I did not catch them, but waited to see the 

 end of the struggle. After some seconds both flew away 

 apparently unharmed. 



" I have observed that the prey of these flies is not the same 

 in every year nor in every month. In 1904 at the end of June 

 and during July I noticed that all the Algerian fields were 

 covered with millions of a Cicada. I have never seen such 

 swarms since that year. At the time of which I speak there 

 was hardly an Asilid to be seen without a Cicada on his 

 proboscis. Last year, 1913, was on the contrary a butterfly 

 year : until July, Cicadas were rare and Asilids were commonly 

 seen with butterfly prey. After the beginning of July a small 

 species of Cicada became abundant, and were the usual 

 victims of the Asilidae. Three examples are now sent, one 

 captured by the male and one by the female of S. heteroneurus, 

 one by the male of a species of Asilinae.'' 



Prof. PouLTON said that the 3 Cicadas were all males — ^a 

 new species of Adeniana {Tihicininae), recently described as 

 seitzi by Mr. W. L. Distant (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Jan. 1914, 

 pp. 182-3). Dr. Seitz found that the hive-bee is the common- 

 est prey of Selidopogon crassus, just as it is of S. diadema in 

 Europe (Trans. Ent. Soc, 1906, pp. 331-5). 



The following Asilidae and their prey, sent by Dr. Seitz, 

 were exhibited to the meeting : — 



Dasypogoninae, — Stenopogon heteroneurus, Macq. ■ — The 

 male and female with Cicadas (p. iv), and the female devouring 

 its own male (p. iii). 



Stenopogon, sp.— A male of an unidentified species with the 

 male of Coe7ionympha pamphilus, f .g. lyllus, Esp. ; a female of 

 another species with a very small bee. The prey was lost — 

 blown away by the wind. 



AsiUNAE. — Heligmoneura hrunnipes, F.— Four males with 



