( Ixxxviii ) 



flies," p. 64), bred from a pupa found spun up on a thistle, 

 July 16th, 1912, and Avhich emerged the following day. 



Mr. C. J. Gahan exhibited a small series of Phromnia 

 su2)erba, Melich, a dimorphic species of Homoptera of the sub- 

 family Flatinae, taken by Dr. A. C. Parsons in Northern 

 Nigeria, and read the following letter received from Dr. 

 Parsons to explain the great interest attaching to the 

 specimens : — 



" Haldon Terrace, Dawlish, S. Devon, 

 "26th Augiost, 1912. 

 " Dear Sir, — With reference to my interview with you 

 last June and our conversation at the Museum concerning 

 certain Homoptera that I brought from N. Nigeria. 



" The following is an extract from a letter that I wrote to 

 my wife on the subject. 



" ' . . . I sat down at once to describe to you an extra- 

 ordinary instance of protective mimicry that came under 

 my notice. You must know that this last trip I have 

 been in the habit of collecting new flowers and then 

 trying to paint them when I get into a camp. One 

 afternoon I found that the particular flower which I 

 wanted to paint was dead, so I went into the "jungle" 

 to try and find another specimen. But my attention was 

 soon arrested by a most beautiful dove-coloured pea flower 

 of sorts. "I will not bother about that other flower" I 

 said to myself " but pick this one instead." On suiting 

 l,he action to the word all the blossoms of my " flower " 

 flew up in a cloud of fluff about my head and then re- 

 settled individually among the brushwood. To use one 

 of your favourite expressions, my " flower " was composed 

 of several very pretty moths "on tiptoe for a flight." I can- 

 not call to mind another instance of insects combining in 

 that sort of way for mutual protection. These moths, 

 whose folded wings are the exact shape of the keel part 

 of a pea flower, were all arranged on the bare stem of 

 some dai'kish bush ; their heads were all pointing in the 

 same direction and the colour graduated from green at 



