THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. HI 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES ON COLEOPTERA. 



No. 2. 



BY JOHN HAMILTON, M. D., ALLEGHENY, PA. 



Harpalus vidmis Lee. The type of this species was taken at Rock 

 Island, ininois. It must be somewhat rare, as it does not appear in any 

 local catalogue nor exchange list under my notice. Here it is found in 

 one place only, and that in some abundance — on the side of a high hill 

 in its primitive state, possessed of a warm, friable, vegetable soil, with a 

 scanty vegetation, and flat stones on the surface. The females have the 

 elytra opaque, but not pubescent, as one of my correspondents claims 

 they should be to meet the description of Dr. Leconte — " sericeo-opaca" 

 which here evidently means opaque with a silky lustre. The males are 

 moderately shining. The beetle makes its appearance during September 

 and October, though few of them mature till the following spring, 

 remaining under the shelter of the stones, where from one to half a dozen 

 are often associated. At first the beetles are of a- pale color, the elytra 

 gradually changing to black ; but the head and thorax mostly remain red 

 till winter. In the spring they are shining black, and are only then fit to 

 be placed in a collection. In the great struggle for " survival of the 

 fittest " the chances seem to be against this insect. 



Quediiis fidgidiis Fab. The descriptive synopsis of the species of 

 this genus by Dr. Horn is so lucid that anyone with a little practice 

 should be able to separate them without trouble, but in some individuals 

 the departure from the normal form is so great and the approach to some 

 other form so close as occasionally to produce perplexity. In the present 

 species, as will be seen by reference to the synopsis cited, the color is so 

 very variable as to be of no separative value, and the principal characters 

 to be depended on to distinguish it from peregrinus Grav., which is 

 equally variable, are the shorter, broader head, and the series of three 

 punctures on the thorax external to the discal series. The form with the 

 elytra red is the more common, and usually has the full number of 

 punctures ; but a totally black form occurs (legs brown), with the external 

 series often reduced to two, or lo the marginal puncture alone, and with 

 the head considerably elongated, thus approximating it closely to black 

 forms oi peregrinus. When one has a number of both species of normal 

 form to compare with, the determination of these abnormalities can be 



