1904.] 937 



rivata (very small) on August 19tli, Leucania pallens commonly at sugar, September 

 Ist — Gtli, Ax. putris September 5th with N. plecta, and, stranger still, Chilo phrag- 

 mitellus. The second brood of Agrotis segetum has been tolerably common, while 

 late in August I took both this year and last freshly emerged specimens of Dian- 

 thoecia cucubali. — C. T. CuCTTWELL, Ewelme, Oxon. : September \bth, 1904. 



Bledius taurus, Germ., from Norfolk, and B. femoralia, GylL, from Berk- 

 shire. — While staying on the north coast of Norfolk for my holidays this August, 

 I took the opportunity of running over for one day to the Wells Marshes with the 

 object of searching for Bledii, and especially, if possible, of turning up B. tauru.t. 

 Germ., in its old haunt. On the dry muddy banks of creeks and ponds I soon lound 

 the larvEC and pupa; of B. spectabilis, Kr., in great profusion ; but there were com- 

 paratively few imagines, and these nearly all ? s. With it in places Dyschirius 

 thoravicus, Ross., Cillenus lateralis, Sam., and Heterocerus femoralis, Kies., occurred. 

 Three ? examples of B. tricornis, Hbst., were taken from the rather drier mud near 

 a footpath. The next species to be found in large numbers was B. bicornis, Germ., 

 the dai'k and light forms being in about equal proportions. These were taken in 

 more sandy situations, and with them occurred B. fuscipes, Rye, in some numbers, 

 and one B. subterraneus, Er., a species which was common a little way along the 

 coast at Sherringham. In a damp hollow among the sand hills B. unicornis, Germ., 

 was common, accompanied by a few B. arenarius, Pk., and Dyschirius salinus, 

 Schaum. Lastlj', on a small flat stretch of rather dry sand close to the sand hills, 

 but just within reach of the highest tides, I came across B. taurus, Germ., and spent 

 over an liour in digging up some 40 specimens, mostly in pairs. Among these was 

 one fine ^ with quite black, and one with dusky elytra. 



Shortly before going for my holiday I had taken one specimen of B. opacus, 

 Block., as it was sitting on the front of my motor car when I had stopped for a 

 minute to make a slight adjustment to the machinery ! After my holiday, and 

 armed with my Wells experience of finding the characteristic casts at the mouths of 

 their burrows, I searched a favourite sand pit of mine near here for Bledii, and was 

 eventually rewarded by finding four specimens of B. opacus. I had never before 

 suspected the existence of a Bledius there. The next day I visited a pond in the 

 Wokingham district, and again especially looked for the casts. This time they were 

 more difficult to find, but eventually nine Bledii were taken. Canon Fowler, who 

 was with me at the time, pronounces them to be the very rare B. femoralis, Gyll., 

 a species which has not been taken in the British Isles for over 50 years, and for 

 which no locality has ever been recorded. In the burrows of these Bledii I took 

 two specimens of a small Dyschirius, which I find exactly corresponds to the small 

 form of D. politus, Dej., mentioned in Canon Fowler's " British Coleoptcra," Vol. I, 

 p. 22, taken by him at Bridlington, a pair of which he has kindly given to me. He 

 tells me he has never felt satisfied that these are really D. politus, but thinks possibly 

 they may be an undcscribed species related to it. Apart from the size, the shape 

 and sculpture of the elytra are certainly very different. — NoKMAN H. Jor, Brad- 

 field, near Reading : September 8th, 1904. 



[The Dyschirius referred to above was taken by me very sparingly at Bridling- 

 ton in company with Bledius dissimilis, Er., the latter insects being abundant. 1 

 have not, however, heard of its having been taken in Britain before or since.— 

 W. W. F.]. 



