The Leaf Might Be Nearly Perpendicular,
But It Stuck To It Like A Fly.
It was of the same size
as the `Brachymerus bi-fasciatus' (Smith),* which I saw only once
in the Bakwain country.
Though small, it was hideous,
being colored jet black, with vermilion spots.
-
* The discovery of this last species is thus mentioned by that
accomplished naturalist, Dr. Smith: "On the banks of the Limpopo River,
close to the tropic of Capricorn, a massive tree was cut down to obtain wood
to repair a wagon. The workman, while sawing the trunk longitudinally
nearly along its centre, remarked, on reaching a certain point,
`It is hollow, and will not answer the purpose for which it is wanted.'
He persevered, however, and when a division into equal halves was effected,
it was discovered that the saw in its course had crossed a large hole,
in which were five specimens of the species just described,
each about an inch in length. Every exertion was made to discover
a means of communication between the external air and the cavity,
but without success. Every part of the latter was probed with
the utmost care, and water was kept in each half for a considerable time,
without any passing into the wood. The inner surface of the cavity
was black, as if charred, and so was likewise the adjoining wood
for half an inch from the cavity. The tree, at the part where
the latter existed, was 19 inches in diameter; the length of the trunk
was 18 feet.
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