408 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVU. 



gets hot about 11 o'clock. Their first appearance was noticed about a fort- 

 night ago, they have been growing less in number of late and less vigorous 

 in action. To all intents and purposes when looked at on the ground they 

 have the appearance of bird-seed moving and jumping about under some 

 mystic influence ! On keeping they generally die in 48 to 60 hours and if kept 

 in a closed bottle, a small moth or some worm -like object leaves the shell. 

 Th; specimen sent has been gathered at 8 o'clock this morning the 29th." 



We sent the specimens to Mr. T. Bainbrigge Fletcher, F.E.S., the Imperial 

 Entomologist, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Pusa, who kindly 

 supplied us with the following information and drawings of the beetles : — 



" I beg to say that I have carefully exa.mined the seed-like bodies, which 

 appear to be some grass-seeds. Each seed is inhabited by the pupa of a 

 Curculionid beetle (weevil) in an early or an advanced stage of growth. From 

 some of the seeds adult weevils are also emerging now in my Laboratory, and 

 they are so unlike anything that we have in our named collection, that we shall 

 have to forward specimens of this to a Specialist in England for exact determi- 

 nation." 



Your observation regarding the " hopping " of these " seed-like bodies " 

 is very interesting but I caiuiot understand how these come " literally hopping 

 out in the open " from their " holes ", and how they get back by hopping again. 

 It seems probable that you have nests of a species of ant in the " holes" at the 

 junction of " brick-work " with the ground ? The ant may have stored these 

 seeds in her nest little suspecting that these were infested with insect grubs. 

 As is usual with the ants at this time of the j^ear, this ant may also have brought 

 out during the cool hours of the morning, all her stores, etc., for deration and 

 spread them out just outside the nest and took them in again at noon. With 

 the advance of the day and consequent rise in the atmospheric temperature 

 the grubs inside the seeds felt uncomfortable and in their efforts to escape 

 from their captivity jumped about. This '" hopping " phenomenon has been 

 observed in the case of Bruchid grubs also which infest Peas, Grams, and other 

 pulse-grains and also in the case of some moth larvae living inside seeds. 



The fact that they have been growing less in number of late and less vigo- 

 rous in action can be easily explained. The larvse must have changed to 

 pupae and in due course there is less of activity ; and from pupae adult beetles 

 must have emerged and the empty shells that are left behind are not brought 

 out of the nest. 



EDITORS. 



No. XVIII.— TROUT FISHING IN CEYLON. 



The following extract from the Ceylon Manual for 1933 gives an authentic 

 account of the introduction of trout into the Caylon streams : — 



" The first experiments in trout breeding ware made in 18S0 by the late Mr, 

 Hugh L. Hubbard of St. Johns, Nda, Passelawa, who was greatly interested 

 in the subject ; and to his efforts is due the knowledge that trout can be 

 easily reared in Ceylon waters. He was assisted by Mr. C. J. R. Le Mesurier 

 and Mr. Hearn, but no record apparently was kept of the number of O^a 

 imported. In 1882 about twenty fish were turned into the Nuwa.T.'a Eiiya 

 stream by Mr. Hubbard. In 1886 and 1888 the public subscribed liberally 

 and an equal amount was contributed by the Local Board making a total of 

 considerably over Rs. 3,000. 



