16 



breeding which the author has undertaken, and the vohime 

 of observations on the early stages of Lepidoptera which he 

 has made. 



Two of Mr. Lamborn's observations are so important and 

 interesting that it is necessary to record them briefly without 

 further delay. The first is one of the most striking examples 

 of Protective Resemblance that has ever been discovered — 

 the caterpillar of a Hypsid moth, Dcileviera ajitinorii, which 

 heaps upon its cocoon a mass of frothy spheres, possessing 

 when dry an extraordinary likeness to the minute cocoons of 

 parasitic Hymenoptera clustered around the dried body of 

 their victim. The defence is doubtless against the Vertebrate 

 enemies of the pupa. The second observation throws remark- 

 able light on certain secondary sexual characters of male 

 Danainae. These butterflies commonly possess a double tuft 

 of hairs which can be protruded from the posterior extremity 

 of tiie body, as well as " brands " or patches of peculiar scales 

 on the wings. Both characters have been interpreted as scent- 

 producing organs employed in courtship. The relationship 

 between them, although suggested by Fritz Miiller, has never 

 until now been observed. In January of the present year 

 Mr. Lamborn saw a male of Ajiiaiiris jiiavins brushing the 

 brands on its hind wings with the protruded tufts, as though 

 some secretion was being conveyed from the one to the other. 

 The greasy appearance of the brands may be probably inter- 

 preted on the hypothesis that they serve to retain and distribute 

 the scent brought to them by the tufts. 



In addition to the splendid donation from the Lagos dis- 

 trict, 5 butterflies from Ladysmith, Natal (June, 1908), were 

 presented by the captor, W. A. Lamborn, Esq. 



A fine series of 196 Coleoptera and 6 Rhynchota from 

 Brazzaville, French Congo (Aug. -Dec, 1909), together with 

 '>^^ Coleoptera and i Hemipteron (Dec. 1909 — Mar. 1910), 

 were presented by H. Eltringham, Esq., M.A., New College. 

 The series, of which nearly the whole is catalogued, includes 

 a set of L)xid models and their Longicorn mimics, for the 

 bionomic series. 



Three examples of a beautiful Gcometrid moth, Zaniarada 



