88 THE entomologist's record. 



mentioned the fact that he sent a specimen of that insect to me, as it 

 was immature, and that I succeeded in getting it into good condition 

 for him. I thought it might be of use to record my plan for maturing 

 beetles, as I daresay most coleopterists have experienced the annoy- 

 ance of taking rare species that were immature, and which, when 

 mounted, have shrivelled up in drying, and become useless for the 

 cabinet. I place the beetle in a glass-topped box, and put in with it 

 a piece of wet blotting paper, and keep the box in a warm place. The 

 beetle sucks up the water from the paper, and in a short time becomes 

 hard. The blotting paper should always be kept moist. Of course, 

 carnivorous beetles, or those that will fight or bite each other, such as 

 the Longicorns, should be kept separate, but other kinds can be put 

 in the same receptacle. I once took a number of Melandnja carahoidcs 

 out of posts in Darenth Wood, which were all immature. I put them 

 into a large glass jam pot, with some wood and plenty of damp blotting 

 paper, and stood it in the sun. The beetles were running and flying 

 about in the steam, and in two or three days all were hard enough to 

 kill and mount. I have tried this plan with success with Carabidae, 

 Low/icornes, Chrysomelidae, etc. — Ism. 



Collecting in East Dorset in 1897. — Taking advantage of a 

 visit to the South of England during last autumn, I had the pleasure 

 of a little collecting at Ferndown, in East Dorset, where, altogether, 

 over one hundred different species of beetles were noted, whilst larvae 

 were numerous under bark, in decaying fir stumps, fungoid growths, 

 and various other places. Considering the lateness of the season 

 (early October), and the small extent of ground covered, I cannot help 

 thinking that the extensive pine woods and large tracts of heath lying 

 to the west and south-west of the river Avon, from Eingwood, might 

 prove a veritable "Klondyke" to the ardent coleopterist, somewhat 

 earlier in the year. Amongst the Geodephaga were Harpalus sahulicola 

 and PteroxticlMn oblonf/o-punctatusi, the latter fairly common in the 

 plantation bordering the road to the West Moors Railway Station, in 

 a portion of which most of my collecting was done. Some " flashes " 

 at the bottom of the wood produced several species of water beetles, 

 amongst others Dijtiscus punctulatiis and Hydroporus lepidus ; Stilicus 

 rujipcH and O.vj/porus nifus were the most noticeable of the Staphy- 

 linldae, both obtained from pine stumps, whilst Olihrus hicolor {liqukhi^) 

 occurred rather freely, by sweeping the bank of a field from which 

 clover had evidently been gathered. Of other Clavicorns, Choleva 

 ni'jricans, Coccinella Jtiewi/h/phica (with one black aberration), Chilocorus 

 renipmtulatm and C. bipmtxdatuK, were swept from under firs, the two 

 latter in quantities. Geotrupcs mutator appeared to be not uncommon, 

 and one Poyonochaerus dcntata was beaten from holly. Amongst the 

 Cyclicae, which were fairly numerous, were Timarcha violacconirp-a, 

 Phyllotreia cruciferae and Psylliodes cliryaoccphala, the two latter from 

 the clover field. The Rhynchophora were well represented in quan- 

 tity, especially the genus Apion, of which mention may be made of 

 A. urticarium, A. confiuens and A. minimum. Trachypldoem sraher, 

 Gronops lunatus, Pissodes notatm, by beating young firs. (JueUodes 

 rubicundua and Myelophilus piniperda occurred in the pine wood, where 

 I also captured a single specimen of Calandra oryzac, a somewhat 

 singular locality for a beetle, whose usual habitat is in rice and grain 

 stores, — E. J. Ijurgess Sopp, F.E.S., Saxholme, Hoylake. 



