EIGHT MONTHS' COLLECTING IN THE SEYCHELLES ISLANDS, 1908—1909 35 



places were found certain Coleoptera, a minute Histerid (? Halacritus sp.) and some 

 Trichopterygidas. Certain small Diptera swarmed among masses of seaweed at Anonyme 

 Island. Other interesting flies were caught either on the beach itself, or in sandy places 

 overgrown with a creeping littoral Ipomcea and other plants just behind the shore. 

 Characteristic insects were also obtained among certain kinds of coast-bushes and trees 

 which are common to many islands in this region. 



There are several marshy tracts on the small coastal plains, which lie between the 

 foot of the mountains and the sea in places along the shores of Mahe. By means of a 

 short expedition made (January 19 — 21) to these plains towards the south of the island, 

 at Anse aux Pins and Anse Royale, I was able to get a sample of their insect-fauna. The 

 plain at Anse aux Pins is for the most part covered with coconut-plantations ; but there 

 are some uncultivated swamps, overgrown with long rushes and other marsh-loving plants, 

 and in places with the yellow-flowered Jussicea already mentioned as growing in some 

 swampy places in the mountains. At Anse Royale there are marshy pieces of ground and 

 ditches on the low-lying land, through which a river runs to the sea. At these places 

 several species of water-beetles, not previously taken by me in the islands, were found 

 in large numbers. The rank marsh-growth was found, when swept, to be very rich in 

 Diptera, including brilliant metallic-green Psilopinse and other Dolichopids, small Chloro- 

 pida? with vivid yellow markings, and many more. These flies were obtained not so 

 much from rushes, etc., growing actually in the water, as from grasses and other rank 

 herbage near the water. Stomoxys was abundant in some swampy places : in a dense 

 expanse of Jussicea at Anse aux Pins these flies were fairly numerous, while Diptera 

 in general seemed scarce. 



In a number of places I swept the long grass and other coarse growth which is often 

 to be found growing among the coconut-palms in plantations. In all cases such vegetation 

 was found to contain very numerous small insects (parasitic Hymenoptera, Homoptera, 

 etc.). Certain kinds of dragon-flies were only seen quite near the seadevel, while others 

 extend their range to elevations of over 1000 feet. Lastly, on some occasions large 

 numbers of small Coleoptera were found under the bark of fallen trees in the low country. 

 The insect-fauna of the low-lying and cultivated country has in general a distinct character 

 of its own, since many of its species do not extend their range up into the mountain-forests, 

 while most of the forms inhabiting the latter do not descend to the cultivated lands. 



IV. PRASLIN, FELIC1TE, AND MARIE ANNE ISLANDS. 



In the nature of their high forests and in several other respects the islands of Mahe 

 and Silhouette are closely alike, so that much that has been said of the entomological 

 work in the one island would apply equally well to the other, and vice versd. This cannot 

 be said with regard to Praslin, in which island the general topography and the vegetation 

 differ in several important points from those of Mahe" or Silhouette. The mountains are 

 lower, the highest being only 1260 feet. The scenery appears, especially to one newly 

 arrived in the island, to be of a quite fresh type, which is partly due to the great abundance 

 of the feathery Casuarina trees on the hills. The native jungles have been destroyed 



