342 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, XIII. 
Among the Orthoptera two species of Locusts are fa'rly common: a reddish 
and a yellowish kind. The latter sometimes arrives in small swarms at the 
beginning of the rains ; but fortunately we have not had any large swarms 
in addition to our famine troubles. The so-called “ milk-bush” (Calotropis 
gigantea), which is extremely abundant here, is frequently stripped quite bare 
by a species of locust, but this does not appear to be migratory, and so far as 
I am aware, does little or no damage to other plants. 
White ants are only too numerous, Dragonflies are plentiful, and it has 
always been a puzzle to me where they can all come from in such a dry 
locality. They breed, of courre,in water, and, though there is cnly one 
small stream here, and a few wells, yet at whatever time of the year I go 
into my garden, I can always see several species, Ant-lions are plentiful, 
and their pitfalls may be seen almost anywhere. I notice that the Cambridge 
Natural History states that “'The imago is considered to be carnivorous, ” 
This I can confirm, as I have frequently seen a species of Myrmeleon 
common at Deesa catching small moths and beetles round a lamp at night. 
Spiders do not seem to be very abundant, especially the larger kinds, The 
little red velvety species which appears at the beginning of the 1aius is one 
of the most striking. I have been told that a decoction of these is used by 
natives in Kathiawar, and possibly elsewhere, as an aphrodisiac, 
In conclusion I may say that I have been able, thanks to a taste for Natural 
History to pass many a “ Long, long, Indian day” without boredom, even in 
the hot weather. I hope, later on, when I have had an opportunity of com- 
paring my Hymenoptera with those in the British Museum and other collec- 
tions, to supplement this somewhat discursive paper by a more scientific one, 
in which the new species collected will be described. 
