124 



from patch to patch in endless procession, threachng their way 

 amongst the grass stems. At any time an insect nei could be 

 thrown over half a dozen specimens at once, as they moved 

 along. In similar abundance Mr. Koebele found the same spe- 

 cies on some sandhills near Bundaberg, on an occasion when I 

 was not with him. Many of the grass-loving species fly very 

 low and irregularly amongst the grass, as if making a close 

 scrutiny on all sides as they pass along. 



On another occasion in a wood at Bundaberg, where a species 

 of Sipliojifa was breeding in large numbers on Ficiis and other 

 trees, P. liclliio was literally swarming, buzzing round every 

 twig, even in the deep shade of the trees. The nymphs of this 

 Siphanfa are always concealed beneath the leaves, feeding on 

 the under surface, and when making particular scrutiny of these, 

 the fly would be seen to hover and poise itself like an ordinary 

 Syrphid, giving up its usual, more erratic and irregular flight. 

 The latter was quite similar to that of a hymenopterous parasite 

 of the genus Chalcis, which, seeking caterpillars on the same 

 trees at the same time, was as common as the fly; in fact these 

 two very different parasites were not very easily distinguishable 

 when on the winig. Owing to the position of the nymphs of the 

 Siphanta I was not able to see the fly actually sting these, but 

 several times one was observed to make a dart beneath a leaf, 

 where the young leaf-hoppers congregated. By collecting 

 some of these nymphs, the Pipunculus was easily bred in confine- 

 ment. Dr. F. Jenkinson of Cambridge in 10)03 published an ac- 

 count of the attack of VcrraUia, a genus allied to Pipunculus, on 

 frog-hoppers (Ent. Monthly Mag. XXXIX (1903) p. 222) and 

 I herewith give in full this interesting note: 



"I suppose the oviposition of Pipunculidac has been recorded 

 somewhere, but I have not seen it described; although the form 

 of the ovipositor and the strong legs and claws (sometimes at 

 least larger in the female) enable us to guess what must take 

 place. Noting ['. aucta to be common in my garden on the 

 morning of ju!y 5th, I determined to watch them as they busily 

 beat over every inch of the herbage. I sometimes had four in 

 view at one time. Frog-hoppers being as scarce as VerraUia 

 was common (perhaps these facts are not entirely unconnected 

 vv'ith each other), I occasionally caught one ana put it in the 

 Vcrrallias path, with complete success. As soon as a VerraUia 

 saw a frog-hopper it poised itself in the air (like a kestrel hover- 

 ing, l)ut with a certain intensity perceptible in its motionless- 



