1168 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL RLST. SOCLETY, Vol. XX. 



noted it in America as long ago as 1886 (Science Vol. VIII, p. 326). In a 

 note on the same subject in Insect Life (Vol. V, p. 145, 1893), the same 

 author states : — " It is a well known fact that the male insect of the family 

 Mantidse approaches the female at the risk of his life." My attention was 

 called to this note in 1905, when I was in Washington, D. C, studying in 

 the laboratories of the Bureau of Entomology. At that time I had a pair 

 of the only American species, Stagmomantis carotina, under observation. 

 One day I discovered the pair in coitu and to my astonishment the head, 

 the anterior pair of legs and a goodly portion of the prothorax had already 

 been devoured. The male which seemed in no way inconvenienced re- 

 mained quietly engaged in the copulatory act, while the female continued 

 her meal. I interrupted the copulation by pulling aside the abdomen of 

 the male with a pair of forceps, but immediately on releasing it it returned 

 to the original position and copulation proceeded as before. I finally killed 

 the pair and preserved them in my collection. Unfortunately in travelling 

 on three continents since that date, these interesting specimens became so 

 damaged as to become useless and had to be thrown away. 



LESLIE C. COLEMAN. 

 Bangalore, 17 tk February, 1911. 



No. XXVIL— A COMMON BLISTER BEETLE (CANTHARIS 

 ROUXI, Cast.) AS A NUISANCE TO MAN. 



That the blood of the Blister Beetle (Fam. Cantharidce) contains a blister- 

 ing principle (cantharidin) and that these insects are able to force the 

 blood out through pores situated at the femoro-tibial joints of the legs are 

 well known facts. The blistering power of Indian species seems not to 

 have been at all investigated, and I have been unable to find a record in 

 print of any of these forms causing inconvenience to man. 



On the 11th October 1910, I received from Dr. P. Palpu, Deputy Sani- 

 tary Commissioner, Mysore, specimens of one of the commonest Indian 

 Blister Beetles {Cantharis rouxi, Cast) with the statement that they were 

 swarming into the houses at nights at Harihar, flying to the lights and 

 producing blisters by getting between the clothing and the skin. In 

 response to an inquiry for definite information, the same gentleman stated 

 that, in the early part of October, they had come to lights in the Harihar 

 station in great abundance, and that he had not only examined a number 

 of people on whom blisters had been produced by this beetle, but had also 

 succeeded in producing blisters on his own arm by applying the exuded 

 fluid and leaving it for 8 to 10 hours. 



That the above is by no means an isolated case is indicated by the fact 

 that another gentleman has since informed me of a similar experience, 

 although he could not inform me as to the species concerned. It would be 



