﻿288 
  S. 
  A. 
  NEAVE. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  other 
  Tabanid 
  present 
  was 
  the 
  new 
  Silvius 
  monticola 
  described 
  below, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  small, 
  dusky, 
  rather 
  sluggish 
  insect, 
  and 
  was 
  found 
  just 
  hatching 
  out 
  

   in 
  large 
  numbers 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  December, 
  1913. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  mountain, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  forested 
  areas, 
  between 
  about 
  

   3,000 
  and 
  4,500 
  feet, 
  Tabanidae 
  become 
  much 
  more 
  numerous, 
  though 
  even 
  here 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Tabanus 
  are 
  few, 
  T. 
  insignis, 
  var. 
  sharpei, 
  Aust., 
  being 
  the 
  

   commoner. 
  Haematopota 
  (Holcoceria) 
  nobilis 
  was 
  fairly 
  numerous, 
  as 
  also 
  were 
  

   both 
  the 
  mountain 
  species 
  of 
  Haematopota 
  above-mentioned, 
  but 
  with 
  their 
  relative 
  

   abundance 
  reversed, 
  the 
  presumed 
  new 
  species 
  being 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  commoner. 
  The 
  

   only 
  species 
  of 
  Chrysops 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  was 
  C. 
  magnifica, 
  var. 
  inornata, 
  Aust. 
  

  

  The 
  heavily 
  wooded 
  and 
  forested 
  areas 
  around 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  were 
  

   rich 
  in 
  species, 
  if 
  not 
  in 
  individuals, 
  of 
  Tabanidae, 
  though 
  here 
  again 
  members 
  

   of 
  the 
  genus 
  Tabanus 
  are 
  decidedly 
  scarcer 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  drier 
  country 
  lying 
  further 
  

   out 
  from 
  the 
  mountain. 
  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  species 
  obtained, 
  described 
  below 
  as 
  

   Silvius 
  apiformis, 
  but 
  for 
  which 
  a 
  new 
  genus 
  will 
  not 
  improbably 
  require 
  to 
  be 
  

   erected, 
  has 
  a 
  singular 
  general 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  honey-bee. 
  It 
  frequents 
  only 
  

   the 
  wooded 
  streams, 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  never 
  seems 
  to 
  leave. 
  The 
  other 
  

   principal 
  Tabanid 
  genera 
  were 
  well 
  represented 
  throughout 
  this 
  area, 
  except 
  

   Pangonia 
  (sens, 
  lat.) 
  the 
  only 
  representative 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  Borealoemus 
  fodiens, 
  

   Aust. 
  This 
  was 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  humid 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  locality, 
  flies 
  of 
  this 
  

   genus 
  being 
  much 
  more 
  numerous 
  in 
  drier 
  areas. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  drier 
  country 
  outside 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  climatic 
  effects 
  of 
  Mt. 
  Mlanje, 
  

   Tabanidae, 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  lower-lying 
  parts 
  of 
  Nyasaland, 
  are 
  very 
  numerous, 
  

   the 
  genus 
  Tabanus 
  being 
  dominant 
  both 
  in 
  species 
  and 
  individuals. 
  

  

  Additional 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  Tabanidae 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Africa 
  has 
  not 
  provided 
  

   appreciable 
  further 
  data 
  on 
  their 
  habits 
  beyond 
  those 
  already 
  recorded 
  in 
  an 
  

   earlier 
  volume 
  of 
  this 
  Bulletin 
  (vol. 
  iii, 
  pp. 
  279-299), 
  and 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  these 
  

   flies 
  was 
  again 
  carried 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  lines 
  as 
  therein 
  described. 
  No 
  great 
  

   difficulty 
  was 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  obtaining 
  good 
  series 
  of 
  the 
  males 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   commoner 
  species, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  those 
  inhabiting 
  dense 
  forest, 
  including 
  

   such 
  species 
  as 
  Chrysops 
  longicornis, 
  C. 
  magnifica 
  var. 
  inornata, 
  Haematopota 
  

   (Holcoceria) 
  nobilis, 
  etc. 
  The 
  males 
  of 
  these 
  forest-frequenting 
  flies 
  are 
  not 
  easy 
  

   to 
  secure, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  difficultv 
  in 
  discovering 
  their 
  drinking 
  places 
  

   (I.e., 
  p. 
  281). 
  

  

  A 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  Tabanids 
  were 
  obtained 
  which 
  were 
  being 
  devoured 
  

   by 
  predaceous 
  flies 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Asilidae 
  — 
  viz., 
  Borealoemus 
  2, 
  Chrysops 
  1, 
  

   Silvius 
  22, 
  Haematopota 
  37, 
  Tabanus 
  13. 
  As 
  regards 
  these 
  figures 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  

   remembered 
  that, 
  while 
  Asilidae 
  do 
  not 
  become 
  numerous 
  until 
  the 
  rainy 
  season 
  

   has 
  begun 
  in 
  early 
  December, 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  Tabanus 
  

   are 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  is 
  considerably 
  before 
  this. 
  Consequently, 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  their 
  

   large 
  numbers, 
  relatively 
  few 
  are 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  list, 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  

   half 
  of 
  these 
  belong 
  to 
  late 
  species, 
  such 
  as 
  T. 
  sandersoni, 
  Aust., 
  and 
  

   T. 
  fuscipes, 
  Kic. 
  

  

  In 
  November 
  1914, 
  examples 
  of 
  a 
  fossorial 
  wasp, 
  Bembex 
  mobii, 
  Handl., 
  were 
  

   captured 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  carrying 
  off 
  five 
  females 
  of 
  T. 
  taeniola 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  Haematopota 
  

  

  