The Scottish Naturalist. 3 7 



The Scotch fir gives nourishment to insects of various orders, 

 notably Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, and Diptera,but 

 I must leave to naturalists more conversant with these orders 

 than I am, the task of particularly enumerating their species. 



Placusa PUxMiLio, Grav. — Found under the bark of felled trees 

 at Rannoch and elsewhere ; its larva is described by Perris. 



Quedius l/evigatus,- Gyll. — Found in numbers under the bark 

 of felled trees, stumps, &c, at Rannoch, and near Loch 

 Africk : the metamorphoses are not yet described, but the lar- 

 va, as well as the perfect insect, is undoubtedly carnivorous. 



Q. xanthopus, Er. — A few individuals of this very rare species 

 have occurred under fir bark at Rannoch ; nothing is known 

 of its history. 



Xantholinus lentus, Grav. — Only a single individual of 

 this species has yet been found in Britain ; it was captured 

 near Loch Africk by Mr. Crotch, in my presence, under the 

 bark of a fir log. The larva has not been described; Thom- 

 son says, that in Sweden this insect " inhabits trees, parti- 

 cularly fir trees." 



Baptolinus alternans, Grav. — Is frequent under rotten bark 

 of fir trees throughout the country ; I have not remarked it 

 in other situations, though Thomson says of it " It frequents 

 trees, particularly conifers" ; metamorphoses not described. 



Homalium pineti, Th. — Found under the bark of the fir stumps 

 at Rannoch and Strath Africk; it is closely allied to H. 

 planum, a species confined to sap trees ; earlier stages still 

 unknown. 



H. pusillum, Grav. — Common throughout the country, under 

 the bark of decaying fir trees. Thomson has recently 

 pointed out that the specimens inhabiting sap or leaf trees 

 are a distinct species. It is found also in connection with 

 the Pinus mariti/nus, and its metamorphoses have been 

 described by M. Perris. 



H. inflatum, Gyll. — The few British specimens of this rare 

 insect that have occurred have all been taken at Rannoch, 

 where it is found under the bark of the logs and stumps ; 

 its convex form renders it apparently little adapted for loco- 

 motion in such spots. The larva is unknown. 



