30 PERCY SLADEN TRUST EXPEDITION 



those of the " bois rouge " particularly, and on those of the capucin. On the lower sides 

 of the "bois rouge" leaves the veins are sharply raised above the general surface, and 

 the little rather flattened weevils are frequently found on the sides of the raised midrib 

 and other veins, as well as on the flattened parts of the leaf. They are very similar in 

 colour, etc. to the dead leaf on which they rest, but as soon as one has learnt where to 

 search, they are found in great numbers in suitable patches of leaves : several specimens 

 often occur on a single leaf. Very few of them were obtained from July to September in 

 Silhouette, though this may be due in part to my having then had less experience. 

 They were very numerous in the Mahe forests in November. In the jungles behind 

 Cascade in January and February (1909) they were much scarcer, but some of a quite 

 different form of small weevil were found on the leaves. It is possible that in this case 

 something was seen of the seasonal changes among the insect population. The small 

 flattened weevils were often found in coitu, and probably they are connected with the 

 dead leaves throughout their life-cycle. On December 31 (near Cascade), when I was 

 surprised at the scarcity of these weevils, I noticed at the side of the midrib in many 

 leaves little holes each surrounded by a tiny pile of leaf-substance reduced to dust. These 

 had been seen before in several places on dead " bois rouge" and capucin leaves, where the 

 weevils are found. However, on this day I saw a boring-beetle of another family entered 

 into one of these • holes head first : so it must remain uncertain whether the holes and 

 burrowing of the midrib have any connection with the weevils or not. At all events 

 it is likely that the thick substance of these large leathery leaves may be the habitat 

 and food of more than one species of Coleoptera in the larval state. 



On one occasion (October 24) a number of beetles, including more than one kind 

 of Nitidulidse and a Hydrophilid, were found in some fallen and decaying fruits of 

 Pandanus seychellarum, which smelt very strongly. This was in the forest on the 

 summit of Morne Blanc. Certain kinds of Staphylinida;, Hydrophilidse and Nitidulidse 

 swarm in decaying fruit at many elevations, teeming especially in rotten oranges and "jak " 

 (Artocarpus integrifolia). 



On November 27 I left Mahe for a few days stay in Praslin, to be spoken of later. 

 On returning on December 3 to Mahe, I spent several days working in the high forest 

 between Morne Seychellois and the Trois Freres mountains, on the north-eastern side 

 of the high mountain-mass which I had previously worked from the south-west. I 

 occupied an empty room in a house near the Trois Freres over 1500 feet above the 

 town of Port Victoria, whence the climb to it is excessively steep. It was close to 

 the high woods, and at such an elevation that the early mornings and evenings felt 

 decidedly chilly. Near the house lay another of the marshy hollows, where groups 

 of the caddis-fly Leptodermatopteryx performed their air-dances about sunset. During 

 these days I worked in some of the finest stretches of high damp mountain-forest, 

 obtaining much valuable material of all kinds. 



Embiidee, since described by Dr Enderlein as a new species of Oligotoma, were found 

 in this locality twice, and on both occasions in rather curious situations. Their web- 

 tunnels were in patches of moss some way up the stems of small trees. In both cases 

 the trees were felled, but in the second case the branch bearing the Embiids was even 



