the Relative Edibility of Insects. 63 
a Obs. No. Name. Colour. bey Remarks. 
Melyridae. 
63 | 123, 132,] Genusnear Prionocerussp.| AA |———|A  Lycoid species very 
506, 551 with pattern of P.| abundant and conspicu- 
dimidiatus, but not in Br. ous on grass tops. Emits 
Mus. yellow oil when handled, 
Elateridae. 
27 37 ? P + |A dark brown species 
that came to light, 
Buprestidae, 
43 | 62, 67, Sternocera pulchra Waterh, A + A large blue-green species 
70, 101, with orange pubescence : 
151, 169, quite conspicuous, flies 
386 | with loud hum. 
129 290 SternoceraboucardiSaund.| A — | Extremely conspicuous : 
| the largest species 
offered. Grey-green, 
spotted with yellow 
pubescence, 
47 | 69,570 | Agrilus discolor Fahr. PeaeAl + | Brightly coloured; rather 
} like acommon scheme of 
colouring in Hemiptera. 
240 494 Agrilus beryllinus Fahy. PP ++ | Small, bright green. 
95 203 Sphenoptera sp. levee Small, dull purplish-brown. 
242 | 497, 593 | Sphenoptera disjuncta iP ++ | Dull bronze; sits rather 
Pahr. | close on twigs; quick to 
| take alarm, 
164 349 Acmoeodera sp., not in Br. C + | Small, greenish - yellow, 
Mus. | black markings. 
183 | 378, 566, | Steraspis sp., not in Br. a +-+ | Dull bronze; freely ex- 
605 Mus. +-+ | posed on foliage. 
224 | 465, 573 | Agelia peteli Gory. AA -+--- | Extremely conspicuous on 
foliage; large, black, 
with greenish-white and 
orange blotches. 
260 539 Discoderes sp., not in Br.| PP +-+ | See description—a pecu- 
Mus. liar species, 
General remarks on the BUPRESTIDAE. 
From the point of view of the present paper this family 
is rather puzzling. On the whole these beetles are con- 
sidered as edible; but the monkey seemed to find them 
very hard. 
Sp. No. 43 was not eaten with zest at first, and the 
successive observations show that when the monkey had 
learnt to break up the beetle it was eaten readily. This, 
and the other large species, No. 129, appear to have a 
means of defence by pinching between the posterior edge of 
the dorsum of the thorax and anterior edge of the elytra. 
When the beetle is handled this gap is opened widely 
(Obs. 62), and the monkey on one occasion got his tongue 
severely pinched (Obs. 70). 
The larger species fly with a loud buzz and are extremely 
conspicuous on the wing. The undoubted hardness of 
the Buprestidae may be the quality with which their 
aposematic colours are associated, for they do not seem 
to be actually distasteful. 
