﻿Drago)iJ{ies 
  and 
  their 
  P''ei/. 
  503 
  

  

  falling 
  into 
  two 
  different 
  families, 
  but 
  in 
  tliis 
  c.ise 
  Dr. 
  Cur- 
  

   penter, 
  wiio 
  made 
  the 
  observation?:, 
  was 
  payino" 
  special 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  bionomics 
  of 
  tlie 
  dreaded 
  carrier 
  of 
  sleeping 
  

   sickness. 
  The 
  same 
  entomologist 
  obtained 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   Ictinus 
  ferox 
  preying 
  upon 
  the 
  same 
  African 
  honey-bee; 
  but 
  

   lie 
  also 
  found 
  that 
  Dragonfly 
  feeding 
  upon 
  other 
  Hymeno- 
  

   ptera 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  Rhyncliota. 
  Again, 
  the 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   the 
  blood-sucking 
  fly 
  Hcematopota 
  longa, 
  sent 
  home 
  from 
  

   Nyasaland 
  by 
  J\Ir. 
  Neave, 
  were 
  being 
  fed 
  upon 
  by 
  different 
  

   species 
  of 
  Orthelrum. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  enquiry 
  has 
  proceeded, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  

   Odonata, 
  wliether 
  considered 
  by 
  species 
  or 
  as 
  a 
  group, 
  are 
  

   omnivorous 
  feeders 
  among 
  other 
  flying 
  insects 
  *, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  

   not 
  aware 
  that 
  any 
  evidence 
  is 
  forthcoming 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  

   apterous 
  or 
  larval 
  insects 
  contribute 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  to 
  a 
  

   Dragonfly's 
  diet. 
  Even 
  Danaine 
  and 
  Acra^ine 
  butterflies, 
  

   which 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  distasteful 
  to 
  many 
  insect-feeding 
  

   vertebrates, 
  are 
  not 
  rejected 
  by 
  the 
  voracious 
  Dragonfly. 
  

   Danaida 
  chrysippits 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  a 
  typical 
  example 
  of 
  a 
  

   butterfly 
  specially 
  protected 
  against 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  vertebrate 
  

   enemies 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  enjoy 
  the 
  same 
  immunity 
  from 
  the 
  

   assaults 
  of 
  Odonata. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Simpson's 
  record 
  

   (No. 
  25), 
  Mr. 
  Guy 
  Marshall 
  observed 
  in 
  Natal 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  

   red 
  Dragonfly 
  (now 
  recognized 
  by 
  him 
  as 
  A7iax 
  sper.,tns, 
  

   Hagen) 
  devouring 
  an 
  imago 
  of 
  'he 
  same 
  si-ecies 
  of 
  butterfly 
  

   (Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  London, 
  1902, 
  p. 
  329). 
  We 
  have 
  also 
  

   seen 
  that 
  honey-bees 
  are 
  sometimes 
  hunted 
  down 
  for 
  food 
  

   (see 
  cases 
  No?. 
  14, 
  15, 
  and 
  21). 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  'Field* 
  for 
  

   21st 
  March, 
  1908 
  (p. 
  486), 
  mentions 
  the 
  complaint 
  of 
  a 
  bee- 
  

   keeper 
  in 
  Australia 
  against 
  " 
  the 
  dragon-fly, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  

   greater 
  pest 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  and 
  sucks 
  bees 
  dry 
  by 
  the 
  

   dozen 
  in 
  one 
  summer 
  day." 
  Moreover, 
  toll 
  is 
  taken 
  of 
  

   certain 
  other 
  predaceous 
  insects, 
  such 
  as 
  Pompilid 
  Hymeno- 
  

   ptera 
  and 
  Reduviid 
  bugs 
  ; 
  but, 
  although 
  Asilid 
  flies 
  not 
  

   infrequently 
  attack 
  Dragonflies, 
  I 
  cannot 
  ascertain 
  that 
  

   Odonata 
  ever 
  attack 
  Asilidpe. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  necessarily 
  some 
  correspondence 
  between 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  captor 
  and 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  prey. 
  All 
  the 
  large- 
  

   bodied 
  Hymenoptera 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  under 
  review 
  have 
  

   fallen 
  victims 
  to 
  Dragonflies 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  ^lEschnidse, 
  which 
  

   includes 
  the 
  largest 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  order, 
  while 
  the 
  small 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  B. 
  Williamson 
  says 
  that 
  " 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  S. 
  Webster 
  has 
  observed 
  

   Lihellula 
  auripennis 
  feeding 
  on 
  fresh 
  crocodile 
  flesh" 
  (Indiana 
  Geol, 
  

   Eeports,xxiv. 
  p. 
  235, 
  1809). 
  

  

  