f 



150 CALOSOMA SYCOPHANT A. 



giving itself a sudden shake on arriving at its landing place. 

 I remarked that in travelling along the above-mentioned gal- 

 lery, the tremulous shriek is always heard when two shrews 

 happen to pass each other ; and the same thing occurs, al- 

 though not so invariably, in their movements in the water. — 

 When a shrew secured an insect it quitted the water, and as- 

 cended a convenient stone, or projecting root of a tree, clod 

 of earth, or some other similar body, where at its leisure it 

 devoured its prize, steadying the insect with its fore paws, 

 whilst it nibbled, apparently with the greatest enjoyment, one 

 or other of its extremities. 



These animals are generally infested with an immense num- 

 ber of Acari, which, after the death of the shrew, leave the 

 surface of the skin and come to the extremity of the hairs, 

 where to the naked eye they appear like white dust. I once 

 traced a pair of shrews into a small hole in a bank by tke 

 side of the ditch where I had been in the habit of observing 

 them ; and in order to try and secure them I carefully remov- 

 ed the earth, when I found that although the entrance was 

 scarcely larger than just to allow of two shrews passing toge- 

 ther, yet it led into a very capacious vestibule, with galleries 

 leading one into another, and so extensive that there was no 

 possibility of ascertaining their full extent without removing 

 the greater portion of the bank. — JV. Barnard Clarke, M.D. 

 —Edinburgh, Jan. 20, 1840. 



Calosoma sycophanta. — At the meeting of the Entomolo- 

 gical Club on Thursday the 20th February, Mr. J. F. Christy 

 exhibited and presented a fine specimen of this beautiful in- 

 sect. It was found by Mr. Rutter, on the grass-plot opposite 

 Arundel Terrace, Kemp Town, Brighton : when taken it was 

 not only alive, but very active. Two other specimens were 

 taken by a little girl at Brighton during the summer of 1838, 

 and were purchased by Mr. Hoyer. A single individual was 

 found by Mr. Bennett on the 20th of June 1839, at Ramsgate, 

 on the chalk cliff; it was kept alive more than a month, and ate 

 caterpillars greedily. Three specimens were found during the 

 past summer at Hastings, by Mr. Hanson or some of his fa- 

 mily : one was living and active, the others dead, and lying 

 on the sea-vshore. We have thus abundant evidence that this 

 fine insect is really British, and, as far as my observations 

 have extended, it appears to be confined to the south-eastern 

 and southern shores of England ; its range extending along 

 the coast from Norfolk to Cornwall. 1 think it right to add 

 that numerous French and German specimens are being hawk- 

 ed about by dealers at a very low price, and are warranted 

 genuine Britons, and taken near Noi'ivich. — Edwd. Neivman. 



