■Am-^;S^Tm'}     Vesicating  Beetles  from  South  Africa.  579 
two  species  of  Mylabris  common  in  South  Africa,  Mylabris  bifasciata 
and  Mylabris  lunata,  and  that  there  appears  to  be  no  record  of  either 
species,  other  than  technical  entomological  descriptions.  Under  these 
-circumstances  I  have  thought  that  a  description  would  not  be  without 
interest  from  a  pharmacological  point  of  view. 
It  was  first  necessary  to  separate  the  two  species,  which  was  easily 
done ;  it  will  be  seen  from  the  following  figures  and  description,  that 
they  do  not  very  closely  resemble  each  other  either  in  size  or  mark- 
ings. It  was  found  that  Mylabris  bifasciata  comprised  the  bulk  of 
the  sample,  namely,  ninety-three  per  cent,  of  the  whole ;  the  smaller, 
M.  lunata,  only  being  seven  per  cent. 
Mylabris  bifasciata  varies  in  length  from  20  to  25  millimetres ;  the 
antenna?  are  about  5  millimetres  long,  moniliform,  consisting  of  eleven 
joints,  the  first  two  basal  joints  black,  the  remainder  yellow,  gradually 
MYLABRIS    BIFASCIATA.  MYLABRIS  LUNATA. 
increasing  in  size  from  base  to  apex  ;  the  head  is  gibbous,  about  3  mm. 
in  length,  eyes  prominent ;  thorax  pentagonal,  4  mm.  long  by  3  mm. 
wide.  Elytra,  15  mm.  long,  by  5  broad,  crustaceous,  convex,  black, 
traversed  by  two  undulating  dark  ochraceous-yellow  bands,  about 
2  mm.  in  depth ;  the  apical  band  is  bordered  by  a  rufescent  margin, 
and  is  more  rounded  at  the  costal  end  than  the  basal  band.  The 
tarsi  of  the  first  two  pairs  of  legs  are  five  jointed,  those  of  the  last  pair 
have  four  joints. 
Mylabris  lunata  varies  in  length  from  14  to  18  millimetres. 
The  antennae  consist  of  eleven  articulations,  moniliform,  gradually 
increasing  in  size  from  base  to  apex,  the  first  four  basal 
joints  black,  the  remainder  ochraceous-brown.  Head  gibbous,  eyes 
prominent,  thorax  equal  in  length  and  breadth.  Elytra,  13 
millimetres  long  by  4  broad ;  crustaceous  black,  traversed  by  two 
