of the Genus Teracolus, Swains. 387 
is noteworthy that the Arabian 7. phisadia has a male of the 
wet-season phase and a female of the dry type; also that the 
nearly allied 7. puellarts occurs at Karachi with males both 
of the wet and dry phases, but females of the dry phase only. 
Another point which proves the seasonal character of these 
different variations, wherever seasons can be said to exist, is 
that an unusually wet country invariably increases the wet 
characteristics, and an unusually dry country has the same 
effect upon the dry type of the species; thus the dry form of 
T’. subfascratus from the Nyasa-Tanganyika plateau, where 
the country is almost a desert in the dry season (though 
extremely moist during the rains), is much more emphasized 
than it is in southern South Africa, so much so that it was 
described as a different species. 
In the spring of 1896 Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall, one of the 
most painstaking and indefatigable collectors Ne has visited 
the so-called ‘ Dark Continent,” came to the Museum with 
the view of applying the experience gained by him in 
Mashunaland to the magnificent collection under my charge. 
Finding how rich we were in both examples and _ species “of 
the genus Z’racolus, and observing that the wet and dry forms 
were at that time kept separate as distinct species, Mr. Marshall 
made up his mind to thoroughly revise the synonymy of the 
genus. Had he waited until | had rearranged our material, 
which was cumbered by masses of only half-determined 
specimens (so crowded together that the labels could with 
difficulty be distinguished), he might have produced a really 
satisfactory memoir. As, however, he elected to go to work 
uyon the genus in its crowded condition, it is not : surprising 
that his synonymic work is not only more or less overdone, 
but in some cases confounds species appertaining to widel 
distinct groups. At the same time much that Mr. Marshall 
has suggested in his paper (Proc. Zool. Soe. 1897) is undoubt- 
edly correct, and perhaps the fact that the work of this reviser 
calls loudly for revision in certain points may have been 
beneficial as inciting me to especial care in studying the sexes 
and seasonal forms, with due regard to the geographical 
range of each species, in order that | might not only straighten 
out the inequalities which certainly exist, but avoid the error 
of making confusion worse craigumled: How far I have 
succeeded future students of the genus will have to decide. 
It is probable that some forms which | have not seen any 
justification for suppressing. may yet prove not to be good 
species, and it may be that in one or two cases [ may, like 
my friend Mr, Marshall, have gone a little too far. 
