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of the labial palpi the operations in progress would have been 

 undetected. From time to time a sharp turn of the head through? 

 a quarter of a circle on each side also went on. 



" After half an hour's work the Mutilla retired a short way from the 

 pupa and, resting on its side, cleaned its antennae and rubbed its legs 

 together, but then manifested some uneasiness at the light, for at this 

 point I had to watch it by lamplight, and concealed itself. But when 

 the light was very much shaded it returned to the pupa, put its head 

 to the site of its previous operations, where with a lens I could see a< 

 small breach of surface, and then gradually raising the hinder part of! 

 its body so as to rest again on its head, recommenced work, its antennae 

 being this time in front of its head, but resting on the pupa. Occasional : 

 movements of anteflexion of the abdomen then took place, as if the 

 insect were preparing for oviposition, and finally, after at least an 

 hour's work, the insect resumed the horizontal attitude on the pupa, , 

 and having examined its work advanced so that its hinder end came 

 somewhere over the breach. , It then moved to and fro, feeling for 

 the exact spot, and then remained still, doubtless in the act of 

 oviposition, running away a few seconds later. 



" Though the female worked so indefatigably, so tiny a puncture was 

 produced as to be barely visible except in a certain light to the unaided 

 eye, and it appeared moreover as if definitely sealed by the insect 

 with some secretion after oviposition. This may possibly be a very 

 important part of its final operations, as on several occasions I have 

 found an exuberant fungus growth, brown in colour, sprouting at little 

 fissures accidentally produced in tsetse pupae. By and by I hope to 

 be able to study this further. 



" I should perhaps add that the night when the Mutilla was working 

 was bitterly cold, a rather surprising fact, seeing that as a rule these 

 insects are so lethargic except on bright sunny days. 



" I have now examined carefully all the pupae to. which this female 

 has access, and seven out of the twenty show this evidence of attack. 

 There is therefore every reason to believe that the Mutilla can be raised 

 experimentally in some numbers and without any great difficulty in 

 the laboratory. Their hardiness, their activity in finding food for 

 themselves and their longevity make them singularly easy to deal with, 

 so that I expect shortly to be able to submit a further report on the 

 subject. 



" In regard to their general habits, they do not as a rule become 

 active till the middle of the afternoon, remaining until then hidden 

 beneath objects on the top of the ground, or buried beneath the 

 superficial layers of the soil. The female is an adept at burrowing, 

 and the male in pursuit of her does not hesitate to force his way into 

 the soft earth. Both sexes run with extreme activity, the male being 

 unusually loth to take flight for a winged insect. The females in 

 captivity soon lose the quality of shyness, which is so marked during 

 the first day or two after emergence, and will then run about uncon- 

 cernedly, even though one is moving objects in the jar, almost as if 

 they had learnt that they were unlikely to be molested." 



Other Parasites. "A species of Bombyliid fly (Thyridanthrax 

 abruptus, Lw.), a striking-looking insect, quite distinct from the Villa 

 lloydi found also to be parasitic on morsitans pupae in Rhodesia, has 

 been bred out from morsitans pupae here, three specimens having been 

 obtained .... This Bombyliid is by no means uncommon in the 

 fly area, especially at Lingadzi, so that I have been familiar with its 

 appearance almost from the very first. I am endeavouring to proceed 



