192 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD. - 
This is a thick-set Cidipodid, which seems to resemble Nocarodes 
of the east, and Ocnerodes of the west. I first saw young larve in a 
pretty ravine known as the “ Happy Valley,” as early as May 5th ; 
these were of a light fawn colour, but the neck membrane, between the 
the pronotum and base of the head capsule is a brillant ultramarine, 
only visible when the creature stretches its head forward. Three weeks 
later I took a nymph, and on the 31st of the month Captain Powell 
found an adult female. For the first three weeks in June the adult 
insect occurred sparingly on the dry plain, but disappeared before the 
end of the month. There is considerable variation of colour, from a 
pale delicate fawn, through deep cream to rich fleshy pink, and grey- 
brown to deep brown ; the males are about half the size of the females, 
and darker in colour, some running almost to a deep prussian blue; 
but the pattern is constant, that is to say, the metazona of the pro- 
notum is invariably blackish, with a fine white border ; the inner face 
of the posterior femora has a deep blue big spot, and the rest of the 
surface is canary yellow, which colour is, as it were, washed on to the 
contiguous sides of the abdomen ; the brilliant blue neck membrane is 
also constant; the whole of the lower surface of the body in both sexes 
is dead white. When they jump they turn their belly upwards in the 
air, so that a white flash is seen, disappearing directly the insect settles, 
and assimilates with the ground coloration. Thus, although this 
species is incapable of flight, we get the same effect that is seen in the 
species with the coloured wings, though by a different process. I 
noticed that on the sides of the first two abdominal segments in both 
sexes, there is a roughened patch like emery paper; this suggests that 
the insect can stridulate, and in both sexes, but I was never able to 
detect the production of any sound. I kept a number alive for some 
time; they copulated freely in confinement, the male remaining 
attached to the female for hours at a stretch; they are sluggish animals, 
easily caught with the fingers. Unfortunately, they lose their beauti- 
ful delicate colouring on dying; the belly turns black, and the upper 
surface to a dull grey or blaekish-brown; only the blue and yellow 
remain; the lining of the thighs is seldom noticeable, and the brillant 
blue of the neck membrane only shows when the creature stretches its 
head out in walking and eating. 
By the first week in June a few adult Caloptenus italicus, L., were 
seen ; by the end of the month they were extremely numerous, and 
larvee and nymphs occurred in thousands; Uidaleus nigrofasciatus, the 
delightful C?dipoda selina, Pall. (= yratiosa, Serv.), and <Acrotylus 
insubricus, Scop., are common objects of the plain by the end of June, 
flashing their pretty wings in the sunlight; the latter flies freely to 
light, and was a frequent visitor to the mess tent in the evenings. 
Another frequent visitor is the mole cricket, which comes dashing 
clumsily in, and seuttles about on the floor looking for cover; another 
cricket, I think it is Nemobius heydenii, flies in on warm still evenings; 
he has an erratic, dashing flight, and is very nimble when settled, and 
so takes a lot of catehing. The Gampsocleis referred to above is also 
quite domesticated ; he commonly comes into the tents in search of 
flies, and so is a welcome visitor ; one, who had lost one hind leg, but 
seemed none the worse for that, made himself quite at home in the 
mess for several days, and hopped freely about the table, catching flies, 
and eating freely from the hand, Platyclets grisea, and the rarer brown- 
