882 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



the introductory paragraph of his paper that the new genus belongs to 

 the section Orthacres {vide his Pyrgomorphinse, p. 44, Genera Insectorum 

 90 me Fascicule) and differs from the genus Orthacris chiefly in that the 

 body has an enlarged or inflated appearance in the thoracic region (meso- 

 and metathorax. In this respect it resembles the genus Sphenarium {vide 

 same paper, p. 9) from which, however, it differs in the absence of wings. 



The above description should enable any one interested to recognise the 

 grass-hopper. Rearing work on a fairly large scale is being carried out 

 here and extensive observations have been made in the field, so that it is 

 proposed later to publish a fairly exhaustive account of its life-history and 

 habits. 



LESLIE C. COLEMAN, m.a., ph.d., 



Mycologist and Entomologist. 

 Bangalore, August Zlst, 1910. 



No. XXXVIIL— REMARKABLE MIMETIC RESEMBLANCE 

 BETWEEN A CICADID AND AN ARCTIID MOTH. 



During a recent visit to the Nilgiris (in April of the present year), I 

 noted a remarkable instance of mimetic resemblance between the Cicada 

 Gaeana atkinsoni and an Arctiid moth {Pangora sp.). 



I must confess to an attitude of scepticism towards a considerable per- 

 centage of the supposed cases of mimicry which have been exploited, of 

 late years, in ever-increasing abundance. Many of them have appeared 

 to me to be fanciful, the resemblance requiring an exceptionally vivid 

 imagination for its appreciation, and the imaginary mimics being some- 

 times dragged together from widely separated habitats. But in the 

 present case, both insects were to be seen on the wing at the same 

 time and in the same place. Mr. H. L. Andrewes, of Barwood Estate 

 (himself an enthusiastic entomologist and careful observer), was with me at 

 the time, and can corroborate my statements. He was, indeed, the first 

 to observe the occurrence and to draw .my attention to the extraordinary 

 resemblance between the two insects when on the wing. "We were both of 

 us, at first completely deceived, mistaking the flying Cicadas for the 

 brightly coloured moths that we had just captured. It was not merely a 

 general similarity of colouration, but the effect was enhanced by the heavy 

 flight of this Homopteron, so unlike the rapid progression usual to the 

 ordinary Cicadas. 



It is not to be expected that a detailed examination of the two insects 

 should show an identical colour pattern ; but the general scheme of 

 colouration is close enough to produce an effect of similarity sufficient to 

 deceive the eye when the wings of the insects are in motion. 



The moth was either Pangora erosa, Walk., or P. rubelliana, Swinh., both 



