60 BRITISH OHTHOPTERA. 



* 



appeared to be in the valleys where the soil was light 

 and chalky, and where there was plenty of vegetation. 

 They Avere generally on the sunny side of the valley, 

 or at any rate sun seemed necessary for them. Chitty 

 found a few beneath bark in company with F. auri- 

 cula rid ; but they were generally obtainable by sweeping 

 herbage, especially where plants like marjoram were 

 growing. The largest haul was from some hop-bines 

 after the hops had been picked; but they had previously 

 been swept from the sunny bank below the hedge 

 of this hop-garden. Chitty found the female more 

 abundant than the male. He thought A. albipennis 

 must have been more plentiful than usual in 1904, or 

 he would have noticed it before. 



During September 1915, while "beating' for 

 moths Harwood found this earwig in Suffolk, and 

 in Essex across the River Stour. He considered the 

 species not rare, since it occurred in three places, but 

 certainly very local, as other apparently suitable spots 

 failed to produce a specimen. It was beaten from 

 hedges and other similar places. As mentioned in 

 connection with F. lesnei, its localness may to some 

 extent be due to its being wingless. When sending 

 me some specimens taken in the evening of 31 August 

 1917 at Sudbury, Suffolk, Harwood said: "It seems 

 not uncommon round Sudbury by beating herbage, 

 but you soon get out of its range." 



On one occasion Porritt took A. albipennis about 

 Stonehall Farm in Kent by beating nettles over an 

 umbrella. It is worth noting that Burr is able to say 

 that some 30 years before 1908 there was a hop-garden 

 at Stonehall. Burr also states that in France it seems 

 to be most frequent on clematis and other shrubs, 

 especially near streams. 



DISTRIBUTION. --J.. albipennis is' an insect of Central 

 Europe- -France, England, Holland, Belgium, Switzer- 

 land, Austria, Spain, and Greece at least. Norfolk 

 appears to be the northern limit of its distribution 

 and Granada the southern. 



