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XIII. On the habits of a species of Ptyelus in British Hast 
Africa, ByS. L. HInDE. Communicated, with Notes, 
by Professor E, B. Poutton, F.R.S. 
[Read June 6th, 1906.] 
Pate  XCUrT. 
[Mr. 8S. L. HINDE, in a letter written from Fort Hall, 
British East Africa, Jan. 12, 1903, gives the following 
account of the locality and mode of occurrence of an insect 
which is closely allied to Ptyelus flavescens, F., if indeed it 
is not actually the same species.—E. B. P.] 
“T have started a new station, which ought to be a nice 
collecting ground. It is perhaps 6000 ft. altitude, on the 
east of Kinangop * and Sattima, 7. e. Aberdare Range: the 
bamboo is only about six or seven miles away. The Bam- 
boo Forest is about 9000 to 11,000 ft. altitude. Kenya 
(17,200 ft.) is about fifty miles away, across the Tana 
Valley. 
“J send you a most interesting insect, which grouped 
resembles flowers in the imagines and fruit or buds in the 
larva; it is a cuckoo-spit we found on the banks of the 
Chania River (where I have placed the new station); the 
Chania River is a large one, not marked onany map. The 
insects were on a large tree, perhaps 40 ft. high, and almost 
every branch was covered with insects, and there was a 
continuous drip under the tree like rain from their secre- 
tions. When within 6 to 10 ft. or more of the insects 
they looked like flowers and fruit or buds. On the ground 
there were larve and imagines, singly and in groups, that 
had fallen off the tree. I broke off a branch covered with 
insects and brought it to the tent. Mrs. Hinde made 
sketches at once, which we send by this mail. I send you 
also a box of the insects which have already faded.” 
Notes by Professor E. B. Poulton. 
The specimens sent by Mr. Hinde in illustration of his 
remarks are to be seen in the British Natural History 
* In a letter, dated July 2, 1906, from Fort Hall, Mr. Hinde 
writes :—“ Kinangop on many maps, real name Nandarua (altitude 
13,000 ft.), is the southern end of the Aberdare or Sattima Range. 
The insects were found on the Chania River (altitude 5,800 ft.) on 
the ground that is now Nyeri Government Station, sixteen miles 
north-east of Nandarua.” 
TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1906.—PART IL. (SEPT.) 
