SOME ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FROM EGYPT AND PALESTINE. 225 



Dipteron. Cicadidae made nearly as much noise here by day as the 

 black crickets did in Egypt by night. These crickets also occurred, but 

 sparingly. A species of firefly also occurred. I did not see this insect 

 myself, but a senior N.C.O. told me that during one of the " strafes " 

 he saw what he at first took to be the glowing tip of a cigarette in a 

 gully, but on proceeding to find out who and where the culprit was he 

 found no one, and subsequently saw several other " insect cigarettes " 

 of a like nature. 



As regards Diptera, the house fly was ever with us, but not quite 

 such a pest as in Egypt ; S. calcitrmxs also occurred sparingly. I recog- 

 nised a Philonicus {albiceps ?) on the sandhills, a Neoitamus on the downs 

 as well as two or three species of Asilus, or closely allied genera. I 

 was* not fortunate enough to see them with prey at anytime. A silvery 

 Thereva {T. annidata ?) was seen on the sandhills, but was not common, 

 also an Anthrax of the circunidata gnoxx^. A single specimen of a non- 

 British genus allied to the foregoing was observed on the sandhills. I 

 do not know its name, but recognised it from the wing veining as 

 figured in Mr. Verrall's volume on Stratiomyidae, etc. This was the 

 only species of Diptera seen either in Egypt or Palestine that I was 

 unable to refer to British (or closely allied) genera. Sundry species of 

 Tachinids were noticed both on the sandhills and the downs, but I 

 cannot recollect seeing any Anthomyidae. A small Syrphid (Sphaero- 

 photia sp. ?) was not uncommon on a hedge surrounding a palm grove. 

 Single specimens of a Tipulid, a Dolichopodidid and a tiippohosca (?) 

 complete my record to time of writing. 



In conclusion I may here mention certain general features that 

 seem to me to stand out as a result of my observations. Firstly, the 

 meagre total of species observed; secondly, with certain exceptions, 

 the equally meagre number of specimens of any one species ; and 

 thirdly, as regards Diptera, the fact as stated before, that I only saw 

 one species I could not place in a British or closely allied genus. I 

 know it is unwise to generalise on insufficient data,^ and probably a 

 collector with time at his disposal would find a far greater number of 

 species. Pfersonally I am inclined to account for the first and second 

 points mentioned by the limited opportunities I had for entomological 

 pursuits and the sterile localities in which I was camped, at any rate 

 during my stay in Egypt. As to the third point, the absence of non- 

 British genera, I suppose that one has to get beyond the desert area to 

 find other than Palaearctic species in any abundance. 



One other matter of interest was the extraordinary abundance of 

 the housefly, despite stringent sanitary precautions carried out under 

 military rule, and the apparent absence of favourable breeding oppor- 

 tunities. Its persistence under these conditions gives one, some idea of 

 the terrible pest it must be where no sanitary precautions are taken. 

 In one camp it was discovered to be brifeding actually under the incine- 

 rators where camp refuse was burnt daily. This was due to the fact 

 that some of the refuse had been allowed to accumulate, and the space 

 under the incinerators had not been kept absolutely clean, although it 

 would be thought that the heat from the burning refuse, about a foot 

 off the ground, might have been sufficient to kill off any larvte : but 

 the fact remains to show the care necessary to clear up absolutely all 

 refuse that can by any chance, or in any place, afford a breeding 

 ground. In addition to strict orders as to burning of rubbish, and 



