XXii Minutes of Proceedings. 
conspicuous silvery-nacreous spots, edgings, and other marks, all’ 
thrown into relief by deep-purple outlines. The abdomen alone 
has no fewer than twelve longitudinal rows of these silvery spots,—~ 
and it is an unusual feature that three of the rows adorn the ventral 
or under side. ‘The male is of a much duller green, with only a few 
white marks (faintly silvery) vid.: a thin edging to the dorsal 
prothoracic shield, two or three spots on the tegmina, and a few small 
lateral spots towards the extremity of the abdomen. 
Several females belonging to this group (notably those of Preumora 
variolosa (Linn.), and of an undetermined species found near Cape 
Town) exhibit more or less silvery spotting in contrast to their duller 
mates, but CO. sex-guttata far excels them in this adornment. 
It is not easy to arrive at the meaning of this splendid ornamen- 
tation of the female. It cannot well be protective resemblance, to 
habitual surroundings, for one cannot think of any objects, organic 
or inorganic, in her present habitat to which she is at all similar, 
and as a matter of fact, Mr. Trimen was informed, she is decidedly 
conspicuous, and on that account much more frequently captured 
‘ than the male, which is an active night-flying insect oftener heard - 
than seen. A possible advantage of the bright colours of the female 
may be that by them she may more readily be found by the male ; 
but the more probable view of the case is that this brilliancy of. 
aspect may, as in many known instances among insects, be associated 
with distastefulness, and so protect its owner by indicating to insecti-- 
vorous animals a creature too unsavoury to be eaten. 
Direct observations on the haunts and habits of this most singular 
species are as yet wanting. The male is familiar to residents in the 
Eastern districts by his Kafir name of “ghonya” as well as by the: 
very loud and prolonged noise he makes at night, but probably few 
are acquainted with the insect himself, and still fewer with the fact 
of his possessing so different and so handsome a mate. It would be 
of great interest to rear to maturity a batch of this insect from the 
eggs, and to note exactly at what stage of growth signs of the 
extraordinary modification of the male first appear. 
Mr. Péringuey exhibited some examples of a dipterous fly (as yet 
undescribed) Cynomia pictifacies which through the courtesy of Prof. 
MacOwan had been forwarded to him by Mr. Sandford of Graaff-- 
Reinet, and described as destroying locusts by laying eggs in them. 
_ That fly belongs to the Sarcophagid, a group which includes the 
well-known flesh-fly, and the females of which are viviparous. The- 
