BAT-PARASITE CYCLOPODIA GREEFFI. 473 



observed tln-ough this ventral transparent covering. In the 

 material sent by Mr. Urich several stji.ges can be seen, including 

 a. fully-formed adult nearly ready to emerge from the puparium. 

 Sufficient has now been written to introduce Mr. Urich's own 

 report of his observations. 



II. Observations in San Thome in 1920 : by F. W. Urich. 



The host of the Cyclopodia was the flying-fox Eidolon helvum 

 Kerr (= Cynonycteris straniinea Geofii-.), which was common 

 and numerous in the north-western part of the island of San 

 Thome. These flying-foxes seem to have established themselves 

 in the woods situated near Morro Moguingui (about 3 miles from 

 the sea) — at least, that is where they passed the day. Every 

 evening, as soon as the last rays of the sun disappeared, they 

 sallied out in thousands. They all flew towards the interior, 

 those going far kept very high and the others whose objective 

 was near by just kept above the tree-tops ; in the morning just 

 befoi'e sunrise, between 5 and 6, they could be seen returning to 

 their sleeping quarters. Their food consisted princijmlly of the 

 ripe fruit of the papaya, Carica papaya, which grew Avild all 

 over the island. At the island of Principe, where the same 

 species of flying-fox occurs, I was told that they attacked cacao 

 pods, papaya not being so common there. The trees selected for 

 sleeping were very tall and slender-stemmed, and the flying-foxes 

 were settled so close together that two shots from a fowling-piece 

 brought down 20 specimens. This roosting-place was known to 

 be used for years, and the small branches of the trees showed 

 very old scars and scratches from the flying-foxes' claws ; the 

 ground under the trees was covered with young j)apaya seedlings, 

 and a peculiar acrid odour from accumulated excrement prevailed 

 under the trees *. The dead specimens were put into cloth bngs 

 as quickly as possible to prevent the escape of ;iny Nycteribiid ; 

 the parasites moved about quickly on the bodies of their hosts, 

 but I did not observe an}^ actually darting about. The leaves of 

 the trees used for roosting were dotted with numerous puparia. 

 A hundred leaves collected at j'andom showed 61 pnparia on the 

 top surface and 96 underneath. The leaves were smooth on both 

 surfaces. The skin of the larva must dry and harden very 

 quickly ; dead specimens were placed in cloth bags at about 

 2 p.m., and four hoiu's after two fully hardened und coloured 

 puparia were found sticking to the cloth. [Rodhain and Bequaert, 

 op. cit. p. 257, state that the hardening and darkening process is 

 complete in 20-30 minutes after the birth of the larva.] 



* [Habits not unlike tliose here described have been noted among various kinds of 

 large fruit-eating bats by other observers. IS. g., in the Seychelles the local tlying- 

 foxes [Fteropus^-p.) have regular sleeping-places in particular clumps of trees, and 

 "Camp Chauve-Souris " has become a place-name in at least one island (Silhouette). 

 In Mahe (1908) the bats might frequently be seen in numbers passing northwards 

 along the west coast of the island at sunset, on their way (it was said) from one of 

 their "camps" to tlieir feeding-grounds, wliich were said to be places where bread- 

 fruit and other fruit trees were plentiful. — H. Scott.] 



