MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 373 



obliged if you will allow me to correct an error in Volume II, page 287. 1 

 ought to have done so years ago, but the late Colonel Bingham promised he 

 would have it corrected in Volume III, but alas I he never lived to finish it. 



At the end of August 1906,1 sent him home a coloured sketch of the 

 butterfly Gerydus boisdurali, Moore, shewing it standing on a branch, and in 

 the act of tickling an aphis with its proboscis, and with a largish ant stand- 

 ing up and examining its legs with its antennse. Colonel Bingham wrote in 

 reply, (I have his letter before me at this moment) to say the butterfly was 

 Gerydus boisduvali ; and that he was inserting a part of my letter in Volume 

 II which he was then working at. Upon his sending me a copy of this 

 volume, I at once drew his attention to the error on page 287. The artist 

 would seem to have lost my sketch and put the butterfly " Allotinus hors- 

 HeldV in its place, and shewn it in the act of seizing some huge unknown 

 bug with its fore legs. The humble Gerydus of my sketch may be seen on 

 page 292 of same volume. 



It is quite a small fly, but with legs of enormous length — possibly to enable 

 it to escape attack by ants — also engaged in feeding on the honey exuded 

 by the aphides. 



This butterfly is exceedingly common in Maymyo, Burmah. 



H. J. WALLER BARROW, Colonel. 



19, Warwick Road, Ealing, W., 

 \Wi July 1915. 



No. XXVI.— AN AGGRESSIVE MIMIC OF THE RED TREE ANT. 



Three mimics of the Red Tree Ant {Oecophylla smaragnida) have come 

 within my observation — two spiders and one reduviid bug. Of the spiders 

 the commoner one is in shape like Synomosyna formica figflred by Poulton in 

 his colours of animals and imitates the ant for jirotection. The other figured 

 below mimics for the sake of feeding on the ants undetected. The habit 

 of ants of carrying one rf their dead comrades in the jaws, which is, I 

 believe, within the observation of all, is utilized by the spider. Usually 

 waiting in the fork of a twig or leaf just away from the general stream of 

 ants, it pounces upon an ant vvhen the opportunity occurs and soon has it in 

 its jaws held much in the same position as the ants do. With one so held 



