268 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



such well-known and justly dreaded insects as the Hessian Fly 

 and its relatives. Some idea of the appearance of the younger 

 stages of these insects may be gathered from an illustration 

 accompanying a paper by Percy H. Grimshaw, 1 on a species 

 recently found attacking a certain grass {Molinia caerulea) in 

 Yorkshire. 



One of the most interesting entomological papers 

 published during the past month is that by H. G. and R. J. 

 Champion, on the " Life-history of Methoca ichneumonoidesl ' 2 

 a Hymenopterous insect belonging to the family Mutillidae. 

 This creature attacks the larvae of Tiger-beetles {Cicindela 

 campestris and C. sylvatica), stinging the victim several times 

 in the thorax, thereby paralysing it, and then depositing a 

 single egg within its body. The attack is made in the burrow 

 of the beetle larva, and after the egg is laid the Methoca fills 

 up the burrow with any movable material at hand. The 

 larva which emerges from the egg lives, of course, upon the 

 body-contents of its victim. Many interesting details are 

 given in the article, including numerous observations on the 

 behaviour of females kept in captivity. 



Major A. O. C. Watson gives 3 a summary of the most 

 interesting Coleoptera, selected from a total of 413 species 

 observed near Aberdeen during the past five years. In 

 the present place we cannot do more than draw the attention 

 of our entomological readers to this useful local list. 



Students of Mites should not overlook an important 

 paper by Stanley Hirst, on the species of Acari occurring on 

 the Brown Rat {Mus norvegicus) in Great Britain. 4 In this 

 article, which deals with no fewer than 12 species (poor 

 Rat !), several records from Scotland are included, and a 

 species described as new to science. Three lithographic 

 plates embellish the paper, giving details of structure and the 

 general appearance of the new species. 



A paper on a somewhat out-of-the-way but none the less 



1 The Naturalist, November 1914, pp. 333-336. 



2 Ent. Mo. Mag., November 19 14, pp. 296-270. 



3 Ibid., October and November 1914, pp. 254-258. 



4 Bulletin of Entomological Research, vol. v., pt. 2, September 1914, 

 pp. 1 19-124. 



