ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 49 



ground, it scuttles down into the grass head first, making it, when 

 the exact spot is observed, a difficult matter to get it boxed without 

 injury, and, when the place is not clearly noted, an impossible thing 

 to find it at all. On a windy day one may go over the ground and 

 beat every tree without seeing a single specimen, the trees being 

 tenantless and the approach and beating of the collector only making 

 any in the ground dive down more deeply into the roots of the 

 grasses. I have said it is a great advantage to be early on the ground, 

 and one of our happiest recollections goes back to 1887, when we 

 arrived at the scene of operations one morning about four o'clock. 

 We had had a hard day's collecting the previous day on the hills, 

 and late at night had stretched ourselves under a large larch for a 

 few hours' sleep, but found that luxury denied us by the midges ; and 

 though we got head and hands inside our nets, and tried other plans 

 to rid ourselves of their attentions, we had at length to give in, and, 

 after an early cup of tea, trudge on our way to the Myelins ground. 

 As soon as light permitted, we began beating operations, and were 

 within a short time rewarded with about a dozen specimens, but the 

 wind rising strong with the advance of day, our success was of but 

 short duration, and although we searched diligently until afternoon, 

 we did not see another specimen that day. Open ridings in woods, 

 and isolated trees, will be found most productive. There are two 

 little pines, about three or four feet high, situated all alone on 

 the hillside, from which we seldom fail to beat a specimen in 

 passing ; the ground underneath these trees is hard and without any 

 undergrowth, and the specimen, as it falls upon it, makes a desperate 

 attempt to get out of sight, failing which, however, it resorts to strata- 

 gem and feigns death, lying motionless and apparently helpless on 

 its side. Of the earlier stages in the life-history of the insect I can 

 say little. The eggs, which we have often had, are, when first laid, of 

 a pale yellow colour, turning, prior to the exit of the larva, to a deep 

 orange. Mr. Herd has put several lots out near Perth, but we have 

 never as yet seen any trace of the species in these localities ; possibly 

 the larva did not meet with a suitable pabulum. So far, all the 

 specimens of this species which have been obtained have been from 

 around Aberdeen and from Glen Tilt, with the single exception of 

 Mr. Warrington's specimen from Rannoch ; and it is to be hoped 

 collectors in Rannoch and other parts will look specially for this 

 species, so that its distribution in Scotland may be more clearly 

 defined. It has always appeared to me as very strange that in the 

 locality where we have been so successful in taking this species we 

 have never seen its close ally, Pinetellus^ although this latter is 

 very generally distributed over other parts of Perthshire. — S. T. 

 Ellison, Perth. 



Reappearance of Euthemisto eompressa in the Firth of Forth. 

 — In the "Tenth Annual Report of the Fishery lU>ard for Scotland," 

 5 E 



