BISKRA 
163 
that they eat the Euphorbia guyoniana , Bois. Rent., down to the 
ground; on the same plant he said that later in the year might 
be found “ des chenilles avec comes et des tdches rougatres ”— 
evidently Deilephila euphorbiae, Linn. I did indeed dig out of the 
sand two brown Sphinx pupae, but unfortunately they dried up 
and the moths never emerged. 
A smaller Heteromeron, Erodius bicostatus, Sol., might be seen 
occasionally crawling on the sand, whereas Zophosis approximata, 
Deyr., ran with great rapidity. Both these species were to be 
obtained in greater numbers by scratching the sand away from the 
roots of the Zaita. The Zophosis is covered with a (?) waxy 
substance, exactly the colour of the sand, easily rubbed off by the 
fingers, or in the killing bottle, leaving the beetle black and shining. 
Any one familiar with cabinet specimens only would be surprised 
to hear that it is a very cryptic insect. Among my specimens of 
Erodius Mr. Arrow found one, if not two, species unrepresented in 
the National Collection. Another beetle found on the sand, or at 
the roots of Zaita, was a black Tentyria. Single specimens of the 
pretty Graphipterus multiguttatus and the formidable Anthia sex- 
maculata were secured. Other beetles found were Sepidium requiem, 
Sol., and Gleonus sp., the latter a Weevil just the colour of the sand 
and further protected by its stony-hard integuments. Once I 
followed some tracks over the sand for several yards, and where they 
ceased found Scarabaeus puncticollis, buried about an inch and a half 
below the surface. On the Spurge, Euphorbia guyoniana, our garden 
friend Coccinella 7-punctata, Linn., was conspicuous. 
Of Bugs I found but two species, a Menaccarus allied to hirti- 
cornis, Puton, on the sand under a Retama bush, and Lygaeus pan- 
durus on Euphorbia. 
I took but few Diptera, those mostly at the Spurge flowers, viz. 
Rhyncomyia sp., two males of a species not in the British Museum; 
one Musea mtripennis, Meig.; and a male Tachina allied to marJclini. 
Lastly a specimen of Hippobosca camelina was, after settling three 
times on my coat, finally secured. 
The Aculeata were somewhat more plentiful. Ants were repre¬ 
sented by the silvered Myrmecocystus bombycinus running with quite 
remarkable swiftness over the sand, together with the less dis¬ 
tinguished-looking Camponotus maculatus, Fabr. The flowers of the 
Spurge yielded males of Andrena lepeletieri, Lucas, and A. ephippium, 
Spin., as well as several Apis mellifica. The sweet-smelling white 
flowers of the desert Broom, Retama retam, were more productive, 
the honey-gatherers including Andrena albofasciata, Thunb., a female; 
