a THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



described in 1877 by Verrall as Platyphora lubbocki, a 

 member of the Dipterous family Phoridae. Another addi- 

 tion to the list of Scottish insects is the Noctuid moth 

 (Cymatophora fluctuosd), several examples of which were 

 taken last year by Mr L. G. Esson in the Isle of Mull. 

 These are recorded by Mr N. Charles Rothschild in the 

 Entomologist for November (p. 314). A recently published 

 fascicle of the Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society (vol. 

 xix., No. 4) contains two entomological papers worthy of 

 notice. The first (pp. 60-62) is by Professor T. Hudson 

 Beare, and is entitled, " Thanasimus rufipes, Brahm, a Beetle 

 new to the British Fauna, and its Life-history." Five 

 specimens were captured during July and August 1912, 

 and one in July 1910, at Nethy Bridge. They were obtained 

 by beating the cut-off tops of felled Scots firs. ;The species 

 is fully described, in both larval and adult stages. It is 

 stated to be exceedingly rapacious, feeding on Scolytidae 

 and other allied beetles. On pages 93-95 of the same 

 journal Mr William Evans publishes a list of Anoplura 

 obtained in the Forth area. This is a much neglected 

 but exceedingly interesting group of parasitic insects. Much 

 remains to be done in the way of the exact determination 

 of the species and their hosts in all parts of Britain. In 

 the paper referred to thirteen species are recorded for the 

 area under consideration, with full details of localities and 

 hosts. The most important record is that of Echinophthirius 

 phocce (Lucas), taken from a Common Seal shot on the Isle 

 of May. This species, which is figured, has only once been 

 previously recorded for Britain, specimens having been ob- 

 tained in Shetland by the Rev. James Waterston (see Ent. 

 Mo. Mag., 1913, p. 133, and Scot. Nat, 1913, p. 144). As 

 usual, the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine contains a number 

 of interesting notes. In the November number (p. 259) 

 Mr Kenneth J. Morton records the occurrence, in bright 

 sunshine, of two Caddis-flies {Mesophylax impunctatus and 

 Stenophylax stellatus) which usually fly at night. This 

 interesting aberration of habit occurred at Lavvers, Loch 

 Tay, on 26th July. Our old friend the Red Deer Bot-fly 

 {Cephenomyia rufibarbis) has once more been taken in 



