ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 117 



Note on the Life -History of a Weevil (Hypera plantaginis, 

 De Geer). At North Berwick, about the second week of last June 

 (1893), my attention was attracted by the unusually brilliant red 

 colour of a large patch of Lotus corniculatus growing at the edge of 

 the links, almost on the beach itself. A little observation showed 

 that the flowers were not only abnormally coloured, but also 

 deformed ; for though of fully the normal size, their petals had 

 never expanded, and the mature blossoms presented the appearance 

 of bright red, greatly swollen, and inflated buds. On examination, 

 every organ in the flower showed the same swelling, which was 

 especially marked in the stamens and ovary; and at the base of 

 these, especially inside the stamenal tube, I found numerous minute 

 whitish larvae about two millimeters in length. Though every flower in 

 the patch (which covered fully a square yard of ground) was thus dis- 

 coloured and deformed, and more or less eaten into holes, at the 

 time I examined them only the younger specimens were still 

 occupied by the larva?, which at a very early age seem to eat their 

 way out and disappear. I was not fortunate enough to find the 

 eggs in a single instance ; but, as the youngest larvas were always found 

 at the base of the staminal tube, especially inside it, I concluded the 

 eggs had been deposited there, and the great deformity of the ovary 

 tended to strengthen this belief. I gathered a number of the still 

 occupied flowers, and kept them under a bell-glass. The young 

 larvae were very much given to wander, and somehow most of them 

 disappeared. In about ten days one or two of them had grown to 

 the length of about three-eighths of an inch, and were then pale green. 

 Only one made a cocoon, which was also of a light green colour, 

 oval in shape, and of a silky texture, very thin, but not transparent. 

 About a fortnight afterwards the beetle ate its way out. I found 

 the lame on no other flowers but those of the patch mentioned. 

 The numerous neighbouring patches were entirely free from them. 

 L. H. HUIE, Edinburgh. 



[This beetle is recorded by Sharp in " Insecta Scotica " ("Scot. 

 Nat.," 1879, vol. v. p. 143), from the Forth and Solway areas only. 

 -EDS.] 



Rare Lepidoptera in the Solway District. The following note 

 of captures of Lepidoptera last year will, I think, be of interest to 

 the entomological readers of the " Annals." I do not wish, in these 

 days of professional collectors, to specify the exact locality, for obvious 

 reasons " the south-west of Scotland " will suffice. The insects 

 in question are two specimens of Polyommatus Phlccas var. Schmidtii 

 Gerh., and five specimens of Phtsia bradea, L., with several others 

 seen at bramble flowers. The butterfly mentioned is of very rare 

 occurrence in this country. Lang mentions a specimen from Perth- 

 shire, which he figures. On the Continent it occurs most frequently 

 towards the southern portion of the range of the type. It is a very 



