1876 39 



iloticreiffe lias Very liberally added to uiy collection) " one was beaten from oak, 

 " April 14th, 1875 ; one from pine, August lOth, 1875 ; one from poplar, August 

 " 21st, 1875 ; and two I took on the wing, on the hill behind my house, in a mixed 

 " plantation, 500 or 600 feet above the sea level, on the 25th October last. 



" When I said it was very plentiful here, I may have used a strong temi, but I 

 " may call it plentiful, as I have always looked upon it as rather a pest, allied in that* 

 " respect to Cerostoma radiatella, and I think, during hibernation, on a fine evening, 

 " I coidd fill from 12 to 20 boxes easily, and in the autumn am constantly turning it 

 " out of my net." 



As I never yet had the pleasure of seeing the insect in my net, I can well 

 concede the point that it must be really plentiful near Perth, and I trust that where 

 it occurs 80 freely the larva will some day be found. — -H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, 

 Lewisham : May 19th, 1876. 



Four species of Helopliorus new to Britain. — It has been known, I think, for 

 some time past, to most British Coleopterists, that a good deal of confusion has 

 existed with respect to our native species of the genus Helophorus. I have lately 

 been studying the group, and have enjoyed the great advantage of correspondence 

 concerning it with Dr. C. Gr. Thomson, of Lund, in Sweden, who has kindly furnished 

 me with tj-pes of several of his species, and has also examined several types which I 

 submitted to him. I have now the pleasm'e of recording the addition of four species 

 to our British list. Besides these, there is an insect in Mr. Eye's collection allied to 

 (but I think distinct from) fP.neipennis, which I have not identified. 



H. ^Q'^TALis, Thoms. — Allied to aqitaticus, Linn. ; smaller, darker in colour ; 

 the sides of the thorax are less rounded, and its surface is less closely gi'anulose ; the 

 interstices between the strise on the elytra are narrower, the alternate interstices 

 (especially near the margin) being hardly more elevated than the rest ; the depression 

 on the elytra behind the base (which is very evident in aquaticus) is hardly discern- 

 ible ; the 2nd joint (apparently the first, tjie real first being concealed) of the hind 

 tarsi is a little longer, when compared with the 3rd joint, than in aquaticus; the 

 apex of the last segment of the hind body is smooth on the under-s'de, whereas in 

 aquaticus it is minutely serrated. 



I have this insect only from Ireland. Mr. Rye has English specimens. It is 

 probably in most collections, and not uncommon. 



H. PLANICOLLIS, Thoms. — Allied to ceneipennis, Thoms. ; rather narrower, wath 

 the sides more parallel, the elytra being longer in proportion to the thorax; the 

 tliorax is (as the name implies) flatter, and is not longitudinally convex ; it has, 

 moreover, a very evident depression (almost a pit) just in front of the middle of the 

 central channel ; the femora are dusky black in the basal half (in mneipennis faintly 

 darker at the extreme base) ; the punctures in the striae on the elytra are very evi- 

 dently finer and closer, and the interstices are flatter, and a little narrower. 



This species does not appear to be uncommon in the mountainous districts of 

 Scotland and Ireland, but I have not seen English specimens. I have it from Shetland. 



H. BREVicoLLis, Thoms. — An interesting little species, 1 line in length, allied 

 to granularis, but distinguished by good characters : the apical joint of the maxillary 

 palpi is narrower and longer, with only the extreme apex faintly dusky ; on tlio 

 thorax the intermediate sulci arc only slightly bent, and tlie oxternul sulci are not 



