"938 MH, A. LOVERIDGB : NOTES ON 



, " A large mantis was resting on the outside of tlie ganzo in 

 bright sunshine at 3 p.m. when a gecko darted upon it, but the 

 mantis managed to elude it and escape." (Kilosa, 5. v. 21.) 

 < "At 7.45 p.m. I was sitting at work when I heard a sharp 

 rapping at. the far end of the \'erando.h which sounded precisely 

 like the hammering of a rat's tail when trapped, the volume of 

 sound being qiiite as large. On reaching the spot liowover, I found 

 it was a large gecko which had swallowed the greater part of a 

 centipede, but three-eighths of an inch remained in view together 

 with the caudal appendages. Disturbed by the light, the gecko 

 paused for a minute, then commenced spasmodically ham- 

 mering the side of its jaw on the wooden panelling, and then 

 disgoi-ged two inches of the centipede, which I judged by the 

 breadth to be about three inches long. It rested for a while 

 with this object hanging limp and motionless from its mouth 

 except for giving it an occasional knock. Presently it ran up a 

 post and along the spouting of the gutter, where with a few gulps 

 it re-swallowed the whole. From the time I became a spectator 

 till all was over was something like ten minutes," (Kilosa, 



14.vi.21.) 



■ " Hearing a gecko thumping some object against the wall out- 

 side, I found it to, be a large cricket. To prove what a noise they 

 can make against a stone wall, I measured the distance from the 

 ^cene of the combat to where I had been sitting and found it to 

 be 23 feet." (Kilosa, 9. vii. 21.) 



*' A fly {Negritomyia maculipennis\yv\\ic\\ is an excellent mimic 

 of one of our wasps, was crawling on a white and lighted ceiling 

 at 8 p.m., when 1 observed a gecko stalking it. When the. gecko 

 was just about the right distance for a spring the fly gave a buzz, 

 and the lizard, after studying it a moment longer, withdrew." 

 (Kilosa, 1 i. 22.) 



• " At sunset I observed a gecko on the gauze facing upwards to 

 a large blue hornet, the hornet adopted a menacing attitude and 

 then flew a few inches up the gauze and again settled, the gecko 

 ran after it but halted an inch away and did not attack," (Kilosa, 

 29.i.i2.) . 



• " Hearing a hammering a few nights ago, I ran out to find a 

 gecko with a large male siaf u or soldier ant." (Kilosa, 31. i. 22.) 



" A gecko was hammering a black field cricket this evening." 

 (Kilosa, ll.iii. 22.) I might add here that a Mombasa gecko 

 had a cricket in its stomach, and a Dar es Salaam specimen dis- 

 gorged one when caught. , 



: "My attention, was drawn to a gecko which seemed to be 

 struggling with something on the ground. On fetching a light 

 it was found to bo flinging itself about and squirming over in an 

 attempt to rid itself, of a solpugid (Solpuga darlmyi) which was 

 holding the,gecko in its jaws, having hold of the head between 

 eye and ear. The skin was all gone from this area and there 

 were signs of bites on the right side and near the base of the tail. 

 I surmise thut the gecko had first attacked the solpugid, but the 



