ENTOMOLOGY 229 



twenty-four hours after intra-coelomic injection and remain 

 stored in the nephrocytes throughout the life of the louse. 



Odonata. — R. T. Tillyard {Ent. News, 33, 1-7, 45-51) has 

 investigated the tracheation of the developing wings in Uro~ 

 petala, a dragonfly belonging to the archaic family Petalu- 

 ridae. He concludes that a complete re-study is necessary in 

 order to bring the notation used in this group of insects in 

 line with that used in other orders. The Odonata of South 

 Africa form the subject of a monograph of F. Ris {Ann. S. 

 African Mus., 18, 245-452). E. H. Hankin {Proc. Cam. Phil. 

 Soc, 20, 460-65) discusses the soaring flight of dragonflies, 

 which apparently does not depend either upon undiscovered 

 wing-movements or on the use of ascending currents. Soaring 

 flight occurs in dragonflies, flying-fishes, and birds : in each 

 class evidence indicates that low-speed flight depends upon 

 the presence of sunshine and high-speed flight on the presence 

 of wind. 



Coleoptera. — D. J. Jackson {Ann. App. Biol., 9, 93-115) 

 contributes the second part of her work on certain weevils 

 of the genus Sitona, recording among other features the occur- 

 rence of alary dimorphism in S. hispidula. F, Balfour-Browne 

 {Proc. Zool. Soc, 1922 (i), 79-97) has a valuable paper on the 

 bionomics of the water-beetle Pelobius tardus. Bugnion 

 {Bull. Biol. Fr. et Belg., 66, i, i. i^T,) writes on the anatomy and 

 embryology of the larvae of Lampyridae, and describes the 

 structure of the larva of Luciola lusitanica in detail in a separate 

 paper {Ann. Sci. Nat., 1922, 29-59). W. M. Wheeler {Zoologica, 

 3, Nos. 3-1 1 ) writes on some social beetles of British Guiana 

 and their relations to the ant-plant Tachigalia. If we regard 

 as truly social only those insects in which the parent or parents 

 live with their offspring, protect and feed them, there have been 

 known hitherto but three groups of Coleoptera coming under 

 this category — viz. the Passalidae, Scolytidae, and Platy- 

 podidse. Prof. Wheeler, in the present contribution, adds two 

 genera of Silvanid beetles belonging to the family Cucujidae 

 to this short list. The beetles enter the hollow petioles of a 

 Leguminous tree Tachigalia and live a social life therein which 

 the author discusses at length. The life-history of the Flax- 

 beetle {Longitarsus parvulus) has been very thoroughly studied 

 in a well-illustrated paper by J. G. Rhynehard {Sci. Proc. Roy. 

 Dublin Soc, 16). This species is a serious enemy of flax and 

 one responsible for considerable loss to growers of the crop in 

 Ireland. It is commonly found throughout Ulster, and of 

 recent years has become a pest in flax-growing districts in 

 Co. Cork. The adult beetle kills many of the seedhngs by 

 devouring the cotyledons and growing point of the flax, but 

 will also eat clovers, grasses, and wild species of flax. The 



