Summary of the Visit y by J. Walker. 55 



alluded to, they were sluggish and heavy in flight, and were 

 not very difficult to catch. The bright yellow dorsum of the 

 Cyphogostra is very conspicuous when the insect is on the 

 wing. One of the most interesting beetles met with was a 

 singular form of the Hcteromerous genus Platydema {asipn- 

 metricum^ Champion, Ent. Month. ^Jag. ser. 2, vol. iv. p. 274), 

 the male of which is furnished with a single long erect horn 

 on the left side of the head. The Longicornes proved, to my 

 disappointment, to be very poorly represented here, as only 

 two or three species of this important group of beetles were 

 captured. 



Other insects were fairly abundant, and I must not forget 

 to mention the mosquitoes, which were sufficiently numerous 

 and troublesome in the vicinity of water ; nor the ants, which 

 swarmed everywhere, and on one occasion got into my pith 

 helmet (used as a collecting-box) in myriads while I was 

 resting and dozing under a tree, and ate up my entire day's 

 catch of butterflies. Fortunately the solitary specimen of 

 Anosia jjJexi'pinis, which I valued more than any other, was 

 evidently not to their taste, as it escaped their devouring 

 jaws without the slightest damage. On the prickly leaves of 

 the Pandanus, or screw-pine, growing on the beach, a large 

 green " stick-insect " was frequently met with in pairs, 

 and was remarkable for emitting when handled a milky- 

 looking fluid, having a strong odour of peppermint, from the 

 thoracic spiracles. 



I could only hear of one mammal indigenous to Damma, 

 this being a species of Cuscus^ or eastern opposum (C. macu- 

 latus). One of the men procured a young specimen from the 

 natives, which, on its decease two or three days afterwards, 

 was handed over to me and duly put into spirit. 



The result of our five days' collecting was approximately as 

 follows : — 



1 species of Mammalia. 



9 species of Birds (skinned and preserved by Dr. Bassett- 



Smith). 

 5 species of Reptiles. 



7 species of Land and 3 species of Freshwater Mollusca. 

 100 species of Coleoptera. 

 30 species of Lepidoptera. 

 30 species of other orders of Insects. 

 1 Freshwater Crustacean. 



As well as a large number of specimens of marine zoology, 

 collected by the doctor on the reefs and by dredging in the 

 harbour. 



