In

haunt was industriously searched. "With no protuberances" is scarcely correct as to this larva; there is an enlargement of the 5th or 6th segment, the segments anterior to which are of less diameter than those posterior to the enlargement. This gives the larva somewhat the appearance of having a long neck; the enlargement is rendered more prominent by having on it two conspicuous black spots, one on each side. colour the larvæ vary somewhat when full grown, some being nearly black, whilst others are of a purplish gray, beautifully marbled or mottled at the sides, a paler chain-like mark runuing along the back. When disturbed the larva drops suddenly, and lies motionless, as though dead, coiled up somewhat in the shape of a fish-hook. The plant upon which the larvæ were found and fed up it would have been more accurate to have called dwarf willow than dwarf sallow; I am not sure, though I believe it is called Salix phylicæ folia (tea-leaved willow).-J. Birks; York, October 8, 1860.

[I have cited the second description from the Intelligencer,' because there is a slight discrepancy between the two.-Edward Newman.]

Description of the Larva of Eupithecia pumilatu: Green Variety.-Ground-colour yellowish green, almost primrose-yellow. Central dorsal line olive, intersecting and uniting a series of pear-shaped spots of the same colour, the latter becoming merged in the central line on the anterior and posterior segments. Subdorsal lines olive, two on each side. Belly pale dirty green, with dusky edges. The spots and lines vary much in intensity of colouring, and are sometimes almost entirely wanting, leaving the larva a uniform pale yellowish green. Feeds on Clematis Vitalba, &c.-H. Harpur Crewe ; Drayton-Beauchamp Rectory, November 29, 1860.

Description of the Larva of Camptogramma bilineata. -Yellowish green. Central dorsal line dark green, becoming faint on the anterior segments. Subdorsal lines yellowish white, faint. Segmental divisions yellow. Spiracular line yellowish white, waved. Back suffused with white, studded with small white tubercles and short hairs. Belly deeper green than back, traversed longitudinally by numerous slender yellow lines, and occasionally spotted on each segment with two large dusky purple spots. When young the ground-colour is sometimes reddish drah. Hybernates small, and begins to feed at the beginning of March, on dock, chickweed, &c. Full fed in April. Pupa enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon. Thorax and wing-cases dark olive, the latter rather paler and transparent at the edges. Abdomen mahogany-red.-Id.

Description of the Larva of Herminia barbalis.—Pale reddish brown, rather transparent. Central dorsal line blackish. Whole of back marbled indistinctly with dark rusty red, and studded with minute dusky spots. On each side a row of slanting dusky stripes. Head dusky red. In appearance resembles in many respects the larvæ of the Satyride and Hesperidæ. My larvæ were beaten in September, from birch and oak, and did not feed afterwards; they hybernated till March and April, when they fed for about a week on the outer cuticle of the bark of whitethorn and gooseberry. The pupa is enclosed in a slight cocoon of silk and gnawed bark; it is rather long and slender. Thorax and wing-cases deep red, suffused with black. Abdomen rich red, with a black central dorsal line. Ventral junction of wing-cases slightly blackish. Abdominal divisions black. The perfect insect appeared in about a month.-Id.

Description of the Larva of Ellopia fasciaria. — Ground-colour gray. Down the centre of the back a series of ochreous-red blotches, intersected by a central line paler than the ground-colour. Each dorsal segment, with the exception of the anterior ones, ornamented with four reddish tubercles, one pair much smaller than the other.

On each side a row of slanting white streaks, forming the subdorsal lines. Belly whitish, with two or three brown dots on each segment. Feeds on Pinus sylvestris, in March, April and May. Full fed the latter month. Pupa in an earthen cocoon. Uniform bright yellowish red. Centre of wing-cases rather darker than rest of the body. Abdomen tapering. Antennæ strongly marked in serrated lines. Abdominal divisions blackish. Lively; when touched has a peculiar quivering motion. —

H. Harpur Crewe.

Description of the Larva of Xylina rhizolitha.—Ground-colour pale bluish green. Central dorsal line white, slender, interrupted and very indistinct. Subdorsal lines yellowish white. Central dorsal line bordered on each segment by two white tubercles. Back and sides marbled with white, spotted minutely with white specks and tubercles, and sparingly strewed with white hairs. Belly smooth. Head green. Feeds on oak. Full fed middle of July. Pupa red, in a rather closely-spun earthen cocoon. -Id.

Description of the Larva of Cidaria prunata. — Long, tapering gradually towards the head. Ground-colour greenish gray. Down the centre of the back a series of purplish pyramid-shaped or triangular blotches darker at the sides, and becoming much curtailed in size on the anterior and posterior segments. On each dorsal seg

ment four small white tubercles. Post-capital segment slightly enlarged and encircled by a black or purplish collar. Belly more or less marbled with dusky purple. Central ventral line interrupted, purplish, edged with yellow. Belly and sides studded with white tubercles. Bred from eggs laid in August; hatched the end of March and beginning of April. Fed on gooseberry. Full fed the middle of May. Pupa enclosed in a very slight web between leaves, long, thin, and tapering very considerably towards the abdominal tip. Ground-colour yellowish gray. Thorax much curtailed, bordered with purplish black. Central dorsal line distinct, purplish black, crossed on the thorax by two short transverse lines of the same colour. Wing-cases and abdomen spotted and streaked with purplish black. Central ventral line purplish black, broader on the abdomen than between wing-cases.-Id.

Description of the Larva of Larentia multistrigaria. - Ground-colour pinkish or yellowish gray. Central dorsal line blackish. Subdorsal line slender and indistinct, pale purplish brown, thicker at the segmental divisions. Spiracles and spiracular line purplish. Between the latter and the subdorsal line a waved yellowish line, with dusky edges. Segmental divisions pinkish. Belly flesh-coloured. Central ventral line broad, yellowish, having on each side a row of purplish spots. Back and belly more or less minutely spotted with purplish brown. These larvæ were reared from eggs kindly sent me by Messrs. Cooper and Holyday. They fed on Galium aparine. Galium saxatile is, I believe, the proper food-plant, but of this I had none at hand. They were full fed from the beginning to middle of June. Pupa red, in a slight earthen cocoon.-Id.

Occurrence of Dianthæcia capsophila in Ireland. When collecting on the coast near Dublin, last July, I took several specimens of a Noctua which puzzled me. I judged it to be a variety of a common species, but have lately ascertained from Mr. Doubleday that it is Dianthœcia capsophila, an alpine species, and rare on the Continent. This species is intermediate between Dianthœcia carpophaga

and D. capsincola, and about the size of the former.-C. G. Barrett; Dublin, November 20, 1860.

Determination of Philonthus prolixus, a Brachelytron new to the British Fauna.I have within the last few days determined a Brachelytrous insect, which, if I am not mistaken, is new to our fauna.

PHILONTHUS PROLIXUS, Er.

It is most nearly allied to P. procerulus, Grav., and is easily distinguished from P. signaticornis by the antennæ not being pale at the apex; from P. villosulus by the antennæ not being entirely pale. It belongs to Erichson's 8th section, with the sides of the thorax thickly punctate, and differs from P. procerulus in being rather larger and broader. The antennæ are considerably longer, and darker towards the apex. The head is more oblong. The elytra are considerably wider, both absolutely and in proportion to the thorax: they are more distinctly and sparingly punctate, and instead of having merely the apical margins rufo-testaceous this colour extends for a considerable distance along them, in one of my specimens even beyond the middle, gradually passing into a dark piceous. I have taken three specimens at Cowley, all in July, one of them in 1858, the other two the present summer. I have also seen one specimen in the possession of my friend Mr. Rye.-John A. Power; 52, Burton Crescent, November 19, 1860.

Capture of Mycetophagus 4-guttatus. - During the present week I have been fortunate enough to capture seventeen specimens of the rare Mycetophagus 4-guttatus, Müller, of which I believe very few examples are known. They were lurking in a heap of old pea-haulm, and had manifestly been bred there, for one of them is perfectly immature, and bad not attained its proper markings. I have no doubt that more might have been taken; but it was such bitterly cold work handling the wet haulm, that after a hunt of about an hour and a half I was quite beaten, and glad to give up the search.-Id.

Beetling at the Cape and in Java. By ARTHUR ADAMS, Esq., F.L.S.

Beetle Hunting at the Cape.-We were at the Cape during the whole of the month of April, and we found the weather fine but somewhat stormy. As you wish to know what sport there is for the coleopterist at the Cape I have much pleasure in sketching for you my experience of three insect days.

On landing almost the first beetle you see is Trogosita mauritanica, in passing through the dockyard, which is brought over in the sugarbags from the Mauritius. We just look in at Mrs. Green's to drink a glass of ale and chaff the dusky maids, and having purchased some grapes of Rachel, the pretty fruiterer, we sally forth rejoicing.

This first day we are fascinated by the flowers on the glorious Simonsberg, and plunge at once among the Proteas, where, in company

with the honeysuckers, we discover a store of beetles. In nearly every half-blown blossom we find buried a large green Cetonia, and on proceeding to dissect the flowers we discover at least six other genera, according to the state of the floral envelopes and receptacle. On the leaves of the silver tree and on the various heaths we obtain some Coccinellæ and Chilocori. On this day we make the acquaintance chiefly of the birds, especially of the crow with the white collar, and of the noisy butcher bird. We pick up a small tortoise, and see with a shudder the fatal black form of the sluggish Cape Cobra glide slowly beneath an old root.

Another day and ground beetles are our game. We select the loose stones at the foot of the mountains, where, in hot and sandy places, we take some Anthiæ, some fine large black species and some smaller white-spotted ones. Here also we find Opatrums and other Heteromera; and in the kloffs and gullies and ravines, in the humid neighbourhood of streams and watercourses, Chlænii, Harpali and Carabi turn up and reward our patient assiduity. The Caffir herdsman regards us on this sultry day with especial wonder, for while he watches his buffaloes browse, crouched motionless under the shadiest bush he can find, lo! we are toiling in the sun, turning over stones, and after all finding nothing to eat! The stragglers we met with in this day's cruise are some Cucujus-like customers and Anobiums, under the bark of a hollow tree near the pretty cottage on the hill-side, where we gather delicious mushrooms, we secure a Colymbetes in a cattle pond, detect a Lagria and a Copris promenading a sheep-walk, and by the sides of the sandy road, which is much used by buffaloes, a large black Ateuchus is observed shoving along balls of dung with his crooked hind legs.

On the third day we are bound for Miller's Point, along the coast, and our venture is carrion beetles. We pursue an uneven course, up sand hills and down sand dales, until a boulder covered with the trailing stems of the yellow Mesembryanthemum arrests our eye. The green carpet is torn off from the surface of the stone. Out run the Staphs, and down drop the scorpions, while the nimble yellow centipedes vanish mysteriously with that unpleasant wriggling motion peculiar to Myriapods and Ophidians.

About two miles to the left of Simon's town we cross a plain, where the grass struggles for existence with the sand, and where the round. green gourds of the Colocynth rest upon the ground, like shot strewing the surface of a battle-field; a thousand foot-prints of horses stamped in the moist sand (for the ground is used for breaking in horses)

heightens the resemblance. On a sudden a taint in the pure air offends our nostrils, but we know it, and, like the vulture to his carrion meal, we are led by the nose to the carcase of a sheep. Placing our "nobility" to windward we capsize the defunct mutton, and Necrophori, Histers and Dermestes reward the bold adventure.

We are now, after walking some little distance, close to Miller's Point, and approach the great flat wild-looking rocks where they haul up captured or stranded whales by chains and windlasses and strip the bones off the flesh and blubber. All around are stray fragments of the mighty fish-like mammals, and turning over a dorsal vertebra (with effort, for it is a large bone) perchance we secure a Silpha, or by a delicate investigation of an unsavoury fathom of "baleen" we possibly appropriate a Cercyon or a Catops.

On our return we descend the sand hills near the sea, and by the "ancient and fish-like smell" we become aware of the vicinity of a station of cleaning and drying fish. We raise a casual board, and behold! the under side is alive with Brachini about an inch long, numbers of them exploding in a most bombadier-like manner, while others are making themselves scarce as fast as their six legs can carry them. The vapour of this large species is very acrid, and leaves a permanent yellow stain on the fingers.

Occurrence of Prognatha in Java. Now that Staphs, once much abused and shamefully neglected, are become fashionable among beetles, I know I shall be commended if I record the capture of a species of Prognatha (a very singular genus of a very singular group) in the forests of Java, under precisely similar circumstances as those attending the capture of P. quadricornis in England.

In that dear country from which, alas! I have been these four years banished, I remember taking the insect in the good old days when Dr. Power, E. Shepherd, my brother Henry and myself used to trespass on the pheasant preserves and haunt the green bye-lanes of Southern Hampshire, not without exciting suspicion in the minds of certain gentry in velveteen shooting-coats that we were either vagrants, poachers or incendiaries. Seated on the trunk of a noble elm whose head had recently submitted to the axe, we idly peel off the Scolytuseaten bark, where, lying "perdu," we discover Prognatha quadricornis. By the way, should my observations anent Prognatha or any other "small beast" be considered neither very succinct nor much to the point, but, on the contrary, extremely rambling and incoherent, the failing I would suggest might charitably be ascribed to a sailor's proverbial love of " spinning long yarns."