the Relative Edibility of Insects. : 29 
record, M., purely out of mischief, and because he saw 
I wanted it, took it and bit it up. I am quite certain 
he did not want it as food: and he did not bite it up 
with any relish ! 
Obs. 183. Sp. 21.—Histerid, Hister validus : during 
the day I saw M. playing about with one of these 
polished black beetles, and pawing it on the ground, 
but making no attempt to eat it. It had flown by, 
and alighted on the ground within his reach. 
Series Ab. Obs. 184-189. Jan. 13.—At 10.30 am. I 
took M. out hunting— 
Obs. 185. Sp. 23.—M. caught and ate the huge 
Acridian Cyrtacanthacris cyanea, a 9, absolutely 
ignoring (Obs. 186. Sp. 22) the aposematic grass- 
hopper Dictyophorus productus, which was on the ground 
just in front of him. 
Series Ac. Obs. 190-200. Jan. 13.—At 2 p.m. I took M. 
out hunting again, but he was rather sleepy— 
Obs. 193. Sp. 91.—Acridiid, Lamarckiana loboscelis 
Schaum.: a 9, of huge size, heavy and corpulent, 
without a trace of wings. This species is coloured 
so as to resemble a clod of earth; sometimes light, 
sometimes dark, but always with a darker patch on 
the thorax. I have often seen them sitting on bare 
ground and mistaken them for clods until they moved. 
They hop very feebly and cannot possibly escape an 
enemy. 
M. found this one on the ground and began to eat 
it before I saw it. He bit the head first, but did not 
bite it off, as he does with his favourite Cyrtacanthacris. 
He seemed rather doubtful about it, and turned to a 
leg, eating one thigh; then bit off the end of the 
abdomen, pulled out and ate the viscera, but his 
manner of eating was not nearly so enthusiastic as 
when dealing with Cyrtacanthacris. He finally bit 
off and ate the head. 
(Note——The case of this huge, helpless Acridian 
seems to me extremely interesting—a species which, 
in its present condition, is procryptic, and yet appears 
not to be so edible as its colouring suggests. Now 
it is an extremely variable species: under certain con- 
ditions it may be conspicuous. I have seen a quite 
light grey-brown specimen on dark soil, and it was 
then far from being procryptic. As I have said, it 
