EAST Al'lUCAN INSECTS. 1031 



Of four live cocoons received yesterday from Natal a male 

 emerged at 2 p.m. this afternoon. By .3 p.m. it seemed to have 

 FiniHhed developing the wings, whose monstrous tails are 3 inches 

 in length. At 4 p.m. it opened the wings and rested with them 

 Hat — the resting moth had a most striking appearance. (Nairobi, 

 23. viii. 19.) 



At 9 p.m. I heard a ciackling noise from one of the remaining 

 cocoons, from which I had cut a small section the better to 

 observe the pujia Avithin. The latter was swollen, making the 

 abdominal rings very noticeable. I watched the moth climb 

 f lom the funnel and withdraw its abdomen very suddenly ; after 

 recovei'ing from its exhaustion, it adjusted its position on the 

 outside of the cocoon. With the exception of the mauve costa, 

 the wings appeared to be entirely orange-yellow at this stage; a 

 pale green blush began to suffuse the wings, commencing at their 

 basal parts, '.rhe green spread and deepened in tone until it had 

 replaced the greater part of the yellow. On emergence the tails 

 were very short — a quarter of an inch perhaps — and were the 

 last part of tho wings to develop. At 11.45 p.m. 1 was awakened 

 by the moth flying round the room, and on turning up the light 

 found a second specimen had emerged and was nearly dry. 

 Both were males. (Nairobi, 27. viii. 19.) 



75, RjroDOGASTRiA viTREA Plotz (Arctiinai). Wlien walking 

 uj) the path at 4 p.m. I disturbed a hunting party of the llelmeted 

 Slu'ikes (Prionojjs talacoona), which llew into a large tree over- 

 head and recommenced their researches there. Immediately 

 afterwards a fine moth in emerged condition dropped down on 

 the path, almost at my feet. I poked it with a twig, but, as 

 it did not move but shammed death, tried to pick it up by one 

 of its vivid red legs, whereupon it began to exude a bright 

 yellow fluid from both " shoulders," this fluid coming out as a 

 froth with a marked rotary motion. I passed the twig beneath 

 the moth, hoping it would clamber up it ; to my surprise it 

 seized the twig with its hind legs only, and, as I raised the stick 

 in the air, it picked up two lumps of quartz from the path, the 

 larger lump measuring 10 x 15x6 mm. As I carried the moth 

 along with me, it carried the quartz for fully a minute before 

 dropping it, and for yet another minute it remained supporting its 

 own weight by its hind-legs. The pillars of froth stood up well 

 from its shoulders, being about 3 mm. in diameter and 8 or 

 10 mm. long. Suddenly the froth dissolved into drops, wliich 

 fell upon my hand, and the moth with rapid darting flight made 

 off. The fluid smelt to me like the secretions of the cloacal 

 glands of a IBritish Grass-snake, which is also used as a defence *. 

 (Kilosa, 8.vi.21.) 



* Dr. Carpunter has observed the same method of defence in .in allied .siiecios, 

 B. leucoptera Hmpsn., and has recorded tho acrid odour and taste of the secretion 

 (Proc. ihit. Soc. Lond. 1913, p. xcvii). 



67* 



