flattened; anal segments raised. Feeds on privet and lilac. The larvæ from which the foregoing description was taken were hatched in May and full fed in July. Pupa dusky red, in a tough semi-transparent silken web. H. Harpur Crewe; DraytonBeauchamp Rectory, Tring, February 6, 1861.

Oviposition of Eupithecia sobrinata.- In July, 1860, I found a pair of bred Eupithecia sobrinata in cop. The female in the course of a few days deposited a few yellow eggs on a sprig of juniper: these shortly turned dull leaden blue. On the 26th and 27th of January, 1861, the young larvæ hatched, and began immediately to feed on juniper. As the eggs were kept in a cold room without a fire, I have no doubt that this is the normal time of hatching.—Id.

Description of the Larva of Ptilophora plumigera. - Pale whitish green. Centre of back bluish. Subdorsal lines distinct, white. Spiracular lines pale yellow, slender and waved, two on each side, the lower of each pair becoming broader on the anterior and posterior segments. Segmental divisions pale yellow. Belly grass-green. Feeds on maple in shady woods and hedges, generally in chalky districts. Full fed at the end of June and beginning of July. Eggs brown, laid in November. Pupa in a tight earthen cocoon; rather short and thick; rich dark reddish brown. Thorax and wing-cases almost black. Abdominal tip furnished with a bristly bifurcate appendage. -Id.

Description of the Larva of Leucania lithargyria. - Ground-colour ochreous or reddish drab. Central dorsal line slender, blackish with a white centre. Subdorsal lines broad, deep black, bordered with white on the lower side. Between the dorsal and subdorsal lines a very slender indistinct dusky line. Spiracles black, in a whitish ring. Between the latter and the subdorsal lines a whitish waved line edged with black. Between the spiracles and legs two conspicuous yellow lines. Belly destitute of spots or markings. The subdorsal lines vary much in intensity of colour. Feeds in April and May, on various species of grass, at night; concealing itself by day, and crawling up the blades as soon as it is dark. Full fed from the middle to end of May. Pupa bright red, in an earthen cocoon.-Id.; January 18, 1861.

Description of the Larva of Xylophasia hepatica.— Back dark brown. Central dorsal line whitish, bordered on either side, on each segment, by two black spots. Subdorsal lines slender, indistinct, whitish. Head and post-capital segment dark brown, the former mottled with a paler colour and traversed by two black lines. Sides pinkish drab, marked on each segment with a black spot. Belly pale drab. Back and sides thinly clothed with slender hairs. Hybernates nearly full fed. Begins to feed again on grass, chickweed, &c., in February. Full fed towards the end of March or beginning of April. Pupa dark red, blackish on the thorax and upper part of abdomen; enclosed in a neat cocoon of earth or moss.-Id.

Capture of Stenolophus derelictus on Wimbledon Common. - We had the good fortune to capture a single specimen of the above insect in a gravelly spot on Wimbledon Common, on the 19th of March, 1860. We did not recognize it till pointed out to us by our friend Mr. H. S. Gorham; and on subsequently showing it to Dr. Power be immediately identified it as Stenolophus derelictus. As another gentleman as well as Dr. Power and ourselves possess specimens, irrespective of the type possessed by the Rev. J. F. Dawson, and as there seems to be some doubt as to their being identical with that type, we think it very advisable that the whole of them should be submitted to some competent authority to have it finally settled.—A. and M. Solomon; 16, Graham Villas, Pownall Road, Dalston, February 12, 1861.

Capture of Staphylinus stercorarius amongst Ants.—I have this year (1860) taken Staphylinus stercorarius in the nests of Myrmica lævinodis. This Myrmica is exceedingly abundant near the large ballast heap at South Shields, and forms its nest beneath stones. In these nests, or in their immediate vicinity, the Staphylinus is to be found in August and September. The presence of Coleopterous insects in ants' nests is a curious circumstance, and one which, I think, still requires elucidation. In the present case it is probable — although I could not certainly determine-that they feed upon the inmates of the nest, for of fourteen specimens taken seven are imperfect, but only in a slight degree, wanting a few joints of an antenna, a claw, or a joint or two of a tarsus, seldom a whole foot. Does not this condition rather infer that they suffer these slight mutilations in battling with the ants, which, in self-defence, would be likely enough to seize their enemies by these their only vulnerable parts? That other species so treat intruders I was once an eye-witness. In turning over a stone, beneath which was a nest of Formica fusca, I disturbed a pair of Platysma niger, one of which, to escape me, ran amongst the ants. However, this was "out of the frying-pan into the fire," for the ants rushed upon him from all sides, like little bull-dogs, and he disappeared in the adjoining herbage with a crowd of them dangling at his legs and antennæ.-Thomas John Bold, in Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club,' iv. 334.

Capture of Ocypus ater on the Banks of the Wansbeck.-I have this season (1860) found Ocypus ater in some abundance on the banks of the Wansbeck. Starting from Sheepwash, I examined the north bank of the river down to the sea, finding amongst other things this conspicuous insect. It began to occur about half a mile above the railway viaduct at North Seaton, and all the way down to Cambois, not occurring, however, on the sea-coast. It lives beneath stones and amongst rejectamenta, near high-water mark. The time was near the middle of September. Previous to this

only two specimens, to my knowledge, had occurred within our district,— at Tynemouth and Whitley,—and these were taken thirteen years ago.—Id.

Discovery of two Species of Ptilium new to the British Fauna, and the Description of a new Species of that Genus. — I am indebted to my friend Mr. Waterhouse for the pleasure of announcing the discovery of two species not previously included in the list of our indigenous Trichopterygidæ. One of them, Ptilium inquilinum, has for some time past been known on the Continent, and is well described and figured in Gillmeister's 'Monograph;' it is therefore unnecessary to do more than simply to record its occurrence in England. Its companion will require a more careful notice: this insect belongs to a species hitherto undescribed, as far as my acquaintance with the family extends, and is conspicuous among its allies, both for the elegance of its shape and for the distinctness of its sculpture. It must be placed in that section of the genus Ptilium which includes P. canaliculatum, P. cæsum, P. inquilinum, &c., all of which exhibit three dorsal channels, or rather lines, on the thorax; but while in every one of the above-named the lines on each side of the central channel are so faint as to be scarcely perceptible except in a favourable light, in this species they are very deeply and strongly marked, and may easily be seen under a simple lens of no very high power; and, moreover, in all the other species the lines in question are oblique, converging towards the central line at one or the other of their extremities; but in this alone they are perfectly parallel to the intermediate line, and confined to the disk of the thorax, not reaching to either margin. The successful exertions of Mr. Waterhouse have now added three most interesting species to the list of the British Q

VOL. XIX.

Trichopterygidæ, viz., Micrus pulchellus, Ptilium inquilinum, and last of all, and also least, the species now under consideration; and it was my earnest wish to have named this species after its captor, but-I regret to say it—he has expressly forbidden my doing so.

PTILIUM INQUILINUM.

P. inquilinum, Maërkel in litt.; Erichson, Naturg. de Ins. Deuts. iii. 26. P. inquilina (Trichopteryx), Gillm. P. canaliculatum, var., Maërk. P. hæmorrhoidale, Mots. P. formicaria, Mots. P. exarata, Allib.

Three specimens of this insect were taken by Mr. Waterhouse some time ago, but no note made of their capture.

PTILIUM INSIGNE, nov. sp.

Long. corp. lin. Rufo-testaceum, pubescens, subtilius punctatum; capite magno prominulo, lineâ transversali post oculos; pronoto transverso, capite paulo breviori, ad basim validius contracto, lateribus rotundatis, angulis acutis, fovea magnâ transversali intra marginem posteriorem, et lineâ longitudinali mediâ profunde impressâ, cui utrinque est linea brevis parallela pariter profunde impressa, sed margine et anteriori et posteriori longe remota ; scutello modico, lineâ mediâ impressà; elytris ovatis, pronoto latioribus, apicibus acutis; pedibus atque antennis pallidis, tibiis omnibus dilatatis. Pronoto insigniter cælato, atque tibiis dilatatis ab omnibus cognosci potest.

Length line. Rufous-testaceous, pubescent, finely punctured throughout; head large and prominent, with a transverse impressed line behind the eyes; thorax transverse, not as long as the head, much contracted towards the base, with the sides much rounded and the angles acute, with a transverse depression near the binder margin, and a deep and wide longitudinal chaunel, on each side of which is a distinct and deeply impressed line, not extending to either margin of the thorax, and parallel to the central line; elytra ovate, wider than the thorax, with their apical extremities acute; scutellum moderate, with a deeply impressed central line; legs and antennæ pale testaceous, with all the tibiæ much dilated towards the feet.

This species may be known by the remarkable sculpture of the thorax, and by the dilated tibiæ.

A single specimen was taken some years ago by Mr. Waterhouse, but the exact locality of its capture is unknown. - A. Matthews; Gumley, Market Harborough, February 1, 1861.

This

Muddy Investment of Georyssus pygmæus.-During a recent ramble in Cumberland I met with a small Coleopterous insect, whose economy is very peculiar. little beetle, the Georyssus pygmæus of Fabricius, is of small size, bluish-black, very strongly and distinctly sculptured. Each individual is completely coated above with a thick cover of muddy sand, under which it totters about in a comical manner. How this earthy cover is attained, and what purposes it can serve, is to me a puzzle. That it is not the result of accident I am pretty certain, for all (and I caught upwards of fifty) were so coated; indeed, it fitted them so closely that I had first to hard rub, and then wash my captures before mounting them. Even after forty-eight hours of heavy rain their loads were still intact. They frequent, on hot sunny days, sloping patches of damp muddy sand, sparely covered with herbage, and, being nearly of the

same colour as the ground, are exceedingly difficult to detect; for unless the atoms move, you may have several under your eye, and yet be unable to see one. Does not this difficulty of detection lead to the inference that concealment from its enemies is the end sought to be attained? I think it does. The insect occurred on the banks of the river Irthing, four or five miles west of Gilsland, in the early part of June. This locality being so contiguous to our district will, I hope, be some excuse for crossing its borders in search of the materials for this note.-Thomas John Bold, in ' Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club,' iv. 65.

Economy of Apion violaceum.—In the early spring of this year I found at Long Benton a large stem of the common dock which had been perforated in a great number of places by an insect. On splitting it open I found that the perforator had been the larva of a small Coleopterous insect, the Apion violaceum of Linneus, which had apparently fed upon the pith of the plant, burrowing in it for six or eight inches, undergoing transformations within, then gnawing their way outwards, leaving the circular orifices which attracted my attention. I found several individuals that, after undergoing their last change, had been unable to escape, -perhaps killed by the drying of the stem, which had been severed from the root.-Id. iv. 66.

Transformations of Cionus Scrophulariæ.—About the 14th of July, 1857, Mr. John Thornhill brought me some stems of Scrophularia aquatica, on the tops of which were clustered great numbers of small gummy-looking capsule-shaped cocoons. These, ten days after, produced an abundance of a very beautiful Coleopterous insect, the Cionus Scrophularia of Linneus. The whole of the foliage of the plant had been devoured by the larvæ, all of whom had changed into pupa but one; this was rather shrivelled, somewhat onisciform, and of a yellowish green colour. The cocoons were of the size of small peas, with little protuberances on them, semitransparent, horn-coloured, or rather of a greenish horn-colour, having quite the appearance of small gum capsules, and were clustered on the tops of the plant like inverted bunches of grapes.—Id.

Note on the Use of the Forceps of the Earwig.-Has any one noticed the common earwig seize insects with its forceps? I saw one clasp an active beetle, Quedius fuliginosus, round the middle with them, raise it from the ground, and run off with it in spite of its most energetic struggles.—Id. iv. 335.

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Note on Anisolabia maritima.—In the Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club,' vol. iv. p. 56, I stated that this fine earwig was in a fair way of becoming extinct amongst us. This opinion, I am glad to find, is erroneous. In August and September of 1860 Mr. Perkins and myself found it tolerably abundant, and of all sizes, in its old locality—to wit, the large ballast heap on the sea-shore, near South Shields.-Id.

Economy of Serropalpus humeralis.-As this insect, formerly a rarity in this country, has lately been taken in considerable abundance, some slight account of its economy cannot be otherwise than acceptable to the readers of the Zoologist.' I therefore extract the following paragraph on the subject from the pen of M. E. Perris, published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of France' for the year 1857. “Under the influence of the first showers at the end of August or beginning of September there is developed on the old stumps of fir trees, as well as on such of their larger roots as approach the surface of the soil, a large fungus of moderate thickness, of a yellowish brown colour and spongy substance, sometimes sessile, sometimes supported by a stout but short foot-stalk; it is described by Brotero under the name of Polyporus maximus, and properly belongs to the genus Dedalæa. It is to this fungus that the Hallomenus

resorts to lay its eggs, and on it the larva feeds, often associated in large numbers. In the substance of this fungus it excavates winding galleries, appearing to prefer the thinner portions, or at least parts of moderate thickness, to the thick and more coriaceous parts about the foot-stalk. It feeds for about six weeks, and then, having attained its full size, it makes a hole through the under side of the fungus and drops to the earth, in which it buries itself and awaits the following summer to undergo its final metamorphosis. Once only have I known the metamorphosis completed in the fungus itself; collected in October and enclosed in a glass vessel, both the larvæ and pupa were much better preserved thus than when procured from the earth; sometimes I have had the pleasure of collecting more than two hundred specimens in a day." The perfect insects were observed by Mr. Lewis on the fir post and rail fence at the railwaystation at Charlton, the larvæ and pupæ in a fungus which grew just at the junction of post and rail.—Edward Newman.

Hexagonal Form of Bees' Cells. There can be no doubt as to the liability of cylinders to become hexagonal under a certain amount of pressure; but why are we to infer that the hexagonal cells of bees have been thus formed? Colonel Newman has proved (Zool. 7369) that the hexagonal form does not result from the pressure of the honey contained in the cells. Where, then, is the pressure to come from? But granting, for the sake of argument, the presence of compressing force where, surely, none can exist, would it make the comb what it is? I think there are several objections which may be urged against this. First, would the extreme fragility of the walls of the cells admit of their receiving, without breaking, the very considerable amount of pressure necessary to make them apply to one another without leaving any interstices? Then, the bases of the cells are, as every one knows, sculptured in the previously-formed partition, before the sides are begun. Now, would not the effect of subsequent pressure be to force each cell at least partially from its base? And if, as would probably be the case, its adhesive power were sufficient to resist this force, would not the sides be distorted, or at least thrown out of their original position? Again, the cylindrical cells must be either larger or smaller in circumference than the hexagonal ones they are required to form; if smaller, they must stretch in compressing, in order to fill up the interstices, which is absurd. On the pressure theory, then, they must be made larger than the required size of the hexagonal cells, to allow for the effects of the compressing force! Is not this attempt, then, to explain away the mathematical accomplishments of the bees something like accounting for a lesser difficulty by creating, as it seems to me, a greater; to say nothing of the apparent insufficiency of compression to produce the solid angle which is contained by the base of each cell. I should be very much obliged to any of the advocates of the pressure theory who would answer these queries satisfactorily. — B. Carron; Loxton Rectory, near Axbridge, Somerset, February 18, 1861.

[Of course the pressure hypothesis cannot be entertained unless the article pressing be specified the only articles in contact are-1st, atmospheric air; 2ndly, honey; 3rdly, larvæ and their cocoons; 4thly, the locomotive bees. When the advocates of the hypothesis explain from which of these sources the pressure arises, and how it acts, we shall have the means of considering the matter, but not until then.-Edward Newman.]