PREFACE XXIX 



Spinners) ; Cluhionidoe^ Drassidce, AgelenidcB, Dictynidoe (all 

 Tube Spinners, as also are Lycosidoe) ; Atypidm (Purse- Web 

 Spiders) ; Thomisidoe (Crab Spiders).* 



Principally, the species are Drassidce and Cluhionidoe. 

 Whether there are any novelties remains to be seen. Of known 

 rare forms, there is at least one of exceptional interest in 

 Mecysmauchenius segmentatus, representing the Archceidce, a 

 family of two existing species, the other of which inhabits 

 Madagascar. 



Insects have a more than ordinary element of interest in such 

 a region as this. 



Hymenoptera, whose life and soul depend so much on sun- 

 shine and warmth, are very few. Eight species collected by me 

 are referred by Colonel Bingham to the families Apidce, Eumemdce, 

 Ichneumonidce^ and Proctotrujjidce. The most conspicuous insect, 

 not plentiful but met with here and there as a solitary individual, 

 is a large thickly-furred orange-coloured Bumble Bee (Bombus 

 dahlhomii). Another of the Apidce is a Solitary Bee, genus 

 Osmia. Honey Bees are entirely absent. Solitary Wasps 

 {EumenidcE) have a representative in Odynerus vespiformis. 

 In Ichneumonidoe, there is the ferocious-looking Cryptus helli- 

 cosus having an ovipositor some two and a half inches long. 



In Lepidoptera, it is not surprising to find very few Butter- 

 flies. Indeed, to take a Butterfly at all in these furious elements 

 was to me a novel experience. It was only at intervals of many 

 days, or sometimes of several weeks, that I was able to do so. 

 Four species were all I could collect; two Nymphalidce and two 

 Pieridce. Of these, the most striking is a little Fritillary 

 {Argynms cytheris). The remainder consist of a small Brown 

 {Neosatyrus hoisduvalii) ; a White {Tatochila argyrodice) ; and a 



* As a help to the field naturalist who may have no knowledge of Spiders, 

 I have asked Mr. R. I. Pocock to determine these as far as is practicable on 

 bionomical lines. He has very kindly done so ; but, it is only right to add, as 

 he says, that however descriptive of life habit, several of the names are not 

 good from the zoological standpoint. — R. C. 



