ek % \ 
ey 
on the Bionomics of Southern Nigerian Insects. 367 
guarantee their classification. They are unpigmented and 
look like Nematodes. That is enough for me! If I’ve 
libelled them it is their own fault. Men have told me that 
our common large Mantis frequently harbours a very long 
round worm, but I’ve never seen one. What I marvel at 
is their rate of growth, if these worms really did come from 
the Lycaenid larva. It must have been very rapid. 
Port Harcourt. 
Nov. 15, 1917.—My friend Dr. Connal, Director of the 
Medical Research Institute at Yaba near ‘Lagos, examined 
the Nematodes that I believe to have come from the 
Lycaenid larva. He thinks they are Filariidae, but all the 
specimens were females and he would not venture on a 
nearer diagnosis. 
[I submitted the Nematodes to Dr. H. A. Baylis of the 
Natural History Museum, who could not say more than that 
they were immature Mermithidae. Dr. Baylis’ remarks 
may induce naturalists to help on the study of this parasitic 
roup :— 
“T have looked at the Nematodes from the Lycaenid 
larva, and am sorry to say that, as I feared, their characters 
are purely larval, though they are of such a large size. I 
am afraid, therefore, it is quite impossible for me to attempt 
to name them. The species to which the Mermithids found 
in Lepidoptera are most commonly referred (at least in 
Europe) is Mermis albicans v. Sieb., but I suspect that this 
is a conglomeration of species, which in their larval state 
it is impossible to separate at present. People should try 
to keep these worms alive for a time after their emergence 
aoe the insects, in order to give them time to mature. . 
I should be very glad if you would let me have any such 
living larvae of Mermis that you happen to come across. 
Feb. 24, 1920.”] 
Moor Plantation. 
Dec. 24, 1917.—Now for this evening’s adventures. I 
started (perforce) rather late and had very little daylight 
left, too little for the flies and mosquitoes, but of course 
I know that if I choose—and I probably shall—Pll get some 
more to-morrow. But I had noticed a day or so before that 
my Loranthus was exhibiting flower-buds, and I thought it 
was about time I had seen to it. Now these flowers are, 
when mature, long, tubular, yellow (a sort of Potentilla 
tormentilla yellow, but with a “ matt” surface) things with 
