EIGHT MONTHS' COLLECTING IN THE SEYCHELLES ISLANDS, 1908—1909 



29 



places near the coast. It may be said here too that some other species of Hymenoptera 

 were only seen in and about houses : namely, a species of Trypoxylon observed to enter 

 nail-holes, etc. in inner walls, and the brilliant metallic-green Ampulex compressus 

 Fabr., which is often seen on verandahs, etc. Eumenes alluaudi P^rez also frequently 

 builds its nest in rooms. 



A kind of " firefly," Luciola sp., appeared near Morne Blanc in some numbers on 

 many evenings. This species seems to be decidedly local in its distribution in Mahe. 

 In walking one Saturday afternoon from Morne Blanc to Port Victoria, I met for the 

 first time with the Melolonthid beetle Perissosoma cenescens Waterhouse. A number 

 of specimens were flying to and fro low over the road, swiftly and silently, settling 

 occasionally on the scented lemon-grass (Andropogon) which is planted by the wayside 

 to bind the soil together. The afternoon was very dull after much rain; as far as my 

 personal experience goes, this beetle seems to be most in evidence in wet weather. 



The mountain-jungles were easily accessible from the house which I occupied. 

 A certain amount of collecting was done in the jungle on the summit of Morne Blanc 

 itself: but a far finer hunting-ground was in the forest covering the highest mountains 

 of the island, where Morne Seychellois, clothed with luxuriant jungles, with woods of 

 sombre capucin and brilliant green patches of fern, rises to almost 3000 feet, hidden as 

 often as not in mists. Several times I visited a summit adjoining Morne Seychellois, 

 which was spoken of as " Morne Pilot." This peak was covered with an extremely 

 humid forest of capucin trees, and was in many respects like the highest peak of 

 Silhouette. On it were again found, between the dead capucin-leaves, numbers of that 

 same genus of small Hydrophilid beetles, which is only seen in very restricted areas on 

 these highest mountain-tops. Several other interesting and uncommon forms were 

 found in this place. 



Not far below the actual summit was a comparatively level expanse of fine humid 

 forest, containing some hollows filled with a dense growth of large ferns. This, too, 

 proved to be an excellent collecting-place, and here particularly many species were 

 obtained from dead leaves on the ground. I used to fill the beating-umbrella with this 

 material, shake it sharply, and then, after flinging out the bigger leaves, I examined 

 carefully the debris left in the umbrella. Various Thysanura, Collembola, Coleoptera 

 (Scolytidae, Scydmsenidae, etc.) and land-shells were found thus. The Coleoptera most 

 numerous among dead leaves were certain forms of weevils, with rather flattened broad 

 bodies : unfortunately it is impossible to say at present with any certainty to what group 

 they belong. Some larger species were found, in many places in the mountain-forests 

 of Mahe and Silhouette, on the concave inner surfaces of the bases of fallen and rotted 

 palm-leaves, and it was practically useless to search for them elsewhere. Occasionally 

 larvae or pupa? of Coleoptera were discovered in the substance of these thickened 

 leaf-bases, where it is probable that the metamorphosis is gone through. In at least 

 one case an imago emerged in captivity from one of these pupae, which was thereby found 

 to be that of a weevil. But lack of time prevented the investigation of the habits of 

 these insects in any detail. 



A smaller but allied form of weevil is very abundant on large fallen leaves, on 



