522 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on 



distasteful ; from my knowledge of our fairly numerous 

 South African species I should be much inclined to doubt 

 it, as their colouring appears to bo, without exception, 

 protective, generally resembling bark or lichen ; and 

 although there are somewhat similarly-coloured Longicorns 

 which frequent such surroundings, I sliould certainly class 

 their colours as syncryptic. A somewhat similar criticism 

 suggests itself with regard to tlie Brenthidm, although I 

 feel diffident in stating it, as the family is so very limited 

 here. I know of only four species in Salisbury, all of 

 which are sub-cortical and nocturnal in their habits, of 

 comparatively rare occurrence, and of dull colouring. On 

 the other hand, I have observed that the great majority of 

 our smaller Lamiids adopt the forward position of the 

 antennae, which I have always regarded as procryptic, 

 as there can be no doubt that it renders them mucli less 

 conspicuous than if the antenna were held out at an 

 angle to the twig on which the insect sits. The procryptic 

 nature of the position is well illustrated in the small and 

 very elongate Longicorns Hyllisia and Hippo'psicon, of 

 which we have a few species, all of which frequent grass- 

 stems in marshy places ; they also have the elytra bifur- 

 cated, and this seems to be a common occurrence in all 

 very elongate beetles. The Endomychid groups are 

 very interesting. Unfortunatel}^ this family is extremely 

 poorly represented here — only some three or four species, 

 though the Erotylida} are fairly numerous. In this latter 

 the pattern with four yellow or reddish blotches on a 

 black ground occurs also with us, and the insects are 

 probabi}^ distasteful, judging by the extremely pungent 

 smell emitted by the large Eiicausks. Curiously enough, 

 just after getting your photographs I found under bark a 

 large Emlomychid (new to me) of this pattern, and with 

 it occurred an admirable mimic, a Carabid Thyreo'pterus 

 fiavosignatus (Dej.). There is another Carabid Arsinoii 

 fraterna (Per.), also sub-cortical, which mimics it closely, 

 but unfortunately I have no specimens now ; I caught only 

 two here six years ago. 



F. Note on BIn/nchojjhora loWi Procryptic Colouring as 

 Models for Mimicry. ( E. ' B. P. ) 



Dr. A. R. Wallace has always thought that the extreme 

 hardness of the mimicked Cnrculionidtv and jlnthribicL%^- 



