﻿248 
  d. 
  d'emmerez 
  de 
  charmoy. 
  

  

  was 
  observed 
  in 
  numbers 
  only 
  in 
  two 
  places. 
  Judging 
  from 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  Scoliids 
  

   found 
  on 
  the 
  few 
  flowers 
  still 
  existing, 
  there 
  was 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  

   plants 
  were 
  in 
  full 
  bloom 
  these 
  places 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  visited 
  by 
  a 
  considerably 
  

   greater 
  number 
  of 
  Scoliids, 
  which 
  gradually 
  dispersed 
  as 
  the 
  flowers 
  diminished. 
  

   It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  end, 
  this 
  idea 
  was 
  not 
  too 
  wide 
  of 
  truth, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   indication 
  it 
  afforded 
  led 
  ultimately 
  to 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  this 
  expedition. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  18 
  days 
  that 
  we 
  spent 
  at 
  Ste 
  Marie 
  we 
  captured 
  98 
  Scoliids, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

   In 
  Ambatora, 
  on 
  one 
  occasion, 
  1 
  male 
  5. 
  oryctophaga 
  and 
  6 
  S. 
  iridicolor 
  ; 
  in 
  

   Antsirakaraiky 
  coconut 
  plantation, 
  4 
  female 
  and 
  5 
  male 
  S. 
  oryctophaga, 
  88 
  S. 
  iridicolor 
  

   and 
  1 
  Campsomeris. 
  

  

  After 
  our 
  return 
  to 
  Tamatave 
  we 
  again 
  visited, 
  between 
  25th 
  and 
  31st 
  July, 
  

   the 
  environs 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  capturing 
  only 
  two 
  female 
  S. 
  oryctophaga. 
  On 
  the 
  31st 
  

   Mr. 
  Gebert 
  left 
  Tamatave 
  with 
  the 
  following 
  female 
  Scoliids, 
  distributed 
  in 
  three 
  

   separate 
  cages 
  : 
  10 
  Scolia 
  oryctophaga, 
  63 
  S. 
  iridicolor, 
  2 
  Elis 
  romandi, 
  12 
  E. 
  pfeifferae, 
  

   and 
  40 
  E. 
  thoracica. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  became 
  evident 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  much 
  chance 
  of 
  securing 
  5. 
  oryctophaga 
  

   in 
  numbers 
  within 
  the 
  space 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  town 
  to 
  the 
  Jardin 
  d'Essai, 
  I 
  

   transferred 
  my 
  headquarters 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  point 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  required 
  for 
  

   exploring 
  the 
  tract 
  which 
  extends 
  from 
  there 
  to 
  Ambodiriannana, 
  where 
  a 
  halting- 
  

   place 
  exists, 
  and 
  where, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Mathiaux, 
  the 
  Chief 
  Land 
  Surveyor 
  of 
  the 
  

   province 
  of 
  Tamatave, 
  Oryctes 
  and 
  Rhizoplatys 
  bituberculatus 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  previous 
  years. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Jardin 
  d'Essai, 
  which 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Ivoloina, 
  12 
  km. 
  

   from 
  the 
  town, 
  the 
  vegetation 
  changes 
  abruptly. 
  The 
  flat 
  swampy 
  plain, 
  studded 
  

   with 
  stunted 
  spiny 
  shrubs 
  and 
  with 
  semi-arborescent 
  ferns, 
  is 
  replaced 
  by 
  low 
  hills 
  

   covered 
  with 
  ravenala 
  and 
  bamboo 
  and 
  a 
  thick 
  undergrowth. 
  Between 
  these 
  knolls 
  

   raphias 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  thrive 
  on 
  the 
  wet 
  and 
  swampy 
  soil. 
  On 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  road, 
  which 
  winds 
  in 
  between 
  these 
  knolls, 
  the 
  bush 
  is 
  so 
  thick 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  

   impenetrable. 
  On 
  the 
  edge 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  the 
  road 
  are 
  scattered 
  

   Lantana, 
  Convolvulus, 
  and 
  Stachylarpheta 
  indica, 
  all 
  in 
  bloom. 
  Around 
  the 
  Malagasy 
  

   huts, 
  grouped 
  in 
  villages, 
  occurred 
  banana 
  plants 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  sweet 
  potato 
  or 
  manioc. 
  

   Along 
  the 
  Ivoloina 
  coffee 
  plantations 
  occupy 
  the 
  largest 
  area 
  (Plate 
  vi). 
  At 
  first 
  

   sight 
  the 
  conditions 
  seemed 
  unfavourable 
  for 
  the 
  attraction 
  of 
  Scoliids. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  day 
  following 
  my 
  arrival 
  at 
  the 
  Jardin 
  d'Essai 
  on 
  1st 
  August, 
  I 
  visited 
  

   the 
  country 
  over 
  a 
  course 
  of 
  18 
  km., 
  up 
  to 
  Ambeletenina 
  village, 
  without 
  any 
  result 
  ; 
  

   on 
  the 
  following 
  day 
  I 
  started 
  again 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  route. 
  At 
  11 
  a.m. 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  

   so 
  bad 
  that 
  after 
  having 
  covered 
  only 
  6 
  km. 
  our 
  chair-bearers, 
  being 
  drenched 
  to 
  the 
  

   skin, 
  refused 
  to 
  go 
  any 
  further. 
  From 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  I 
  halted 
  the 
  hill 
  slopes 
  gently 
  

   towards 
  the 
  river, 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  an 
  arborescent 
  Malvaceous 
  plant 
  with 
  pink 
  

   flowers, 
  Urena 
  lobata, 
  which 
  the 
  natives 
  call 
  paka 
  or 
  pampan. 
  I 
  inspected 
  this 
  spot 
  

   in 
  every 
  direction 
  without 
  at 
  first 
  coming 
  across 
  a 
  single 
  insect. 
  

  

  As, 
  however, 
  this 
  seemed 
  the 
  only 
  place 
  within 
  a 
  radius 
  of 
  5 
  km. 
  likely 
  to 
  attract 
  

   Scoliids, 
  and 
  as 
  numerous 
  sunbirds 
  (Nectarinia 
  souimanga), 
  which 
  feed 
  only 
  on 
  honey, 
  

   were 
  seen 
  hovering 
  over 
  these 
  plants, 
  the 
  ground 
  seemed 
  worthy 
  of 
  further 
  investi- 
  

   gation. 
  By 
  noon 
  the 
  weather 
  had 
  greatly 
  improved, 
  and 
  suddenly 
  Scoliids 
  arose 
  

   from 
  everywhere. 
  In 
  an 
  hour's 
  time 
  I 
  had 
  captured 
  20, 
  including 
  11 
  female 
  

   5. 
  oryctophaga, 
  1 
  female 
  S. 
  caffra, 
  4 
  female 
  E. 
  romandi, 
  3 
  male 
  E. 
  pfeifferae, 
  and 
  1 
  male 
  

   of 
  a 
  new 
  species. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  up 
  to 
  Tamatave, 
  whither 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  return 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  place 
  my 
  captures 
  in 
  breeding-cages, 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  find 
  any 
  other 
  Scoliids, 
  although, 
  

   as 
  already 
  stated, 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  flowers 
  other 
  than 
  pakas. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  day, 
  4th 
  August, 
  I 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  paka 
  field 
  in 
  very 
  bad 
  weather 
  ; 
  

   but 
  it 
  improved 
  by 
  one 
  o'clock, 
  and 
  I 
  captured 
  20 
  other 
  Scoliids, 
  including 
  9 
  female 
  

   S. 
  oryctophaga 
  and 
  11 
  female 
  E. 
  romandi. 
  

  

  