132 [3une, 



carrion due to the alumdance of crows, magpies, and foxes, explain the 

 scarcity of so many of our coprophagous and necrophagous Claricornes. 

 In fact, the most noteworthy of the group, after the Liodidae, are 

 perhaps among the smaller species. Thus Ceplienn'mm thoracicum and 

 Euconnus hirticoUis can often be swept up with the Liodes, and very 

 rarely Thalycra fervida 01. (sericea Stm.). Among moss and dead 

 leaves occur Corticaria ferruginea Marsh, (fenestralis Brit. Cat.), 

 Lathridiiis coiisfrictus, Atomaria f^iscipes, a,nd A. afinis (badia olim.) . 

 Gryptophagus stibdepresstis is sometimes to be beaten from the lichen 

 covered lower branches of the spruce firs, and it will be remembered 

 that Mr. Tomlin has recorded (Ent. Mo. Mag., LI, p. 143) C. cylindrus 

 in tlie borings of the Scolytid, Pityogenes hidentatus. 



Sphindiis, which perhaps is more correctly placed within the 

 Clavicorn series than in its old position, is exceedingly common in the 

 brown powdery fungoid growth which occurs in small shining 

 excrescences on the stumps of various trees, and with it, but more 

 rarely, Aspidiphorus orbiculafus. 



Turning to the LanipJUcor/iia, the ;Jraost complete absence of the 

 usual ruminants of the country side does much to make our list a 

 short one ; Geotrupes typhoeus, however, is one of .our commonest 

 beetles ; it seems to assume the imaginal state during the late autumn, 

 and can be dug out of its very obvious burrows at any time between 

 November and February, when any mild day will bring it up, and all' 

 through the early spring it is to be seen crawling about in the bleak 

 sunshine. G. mutator also occurs, but among the Aplwdiina nothing 

 of special interest has been observed. Undoubtedly our most interest- 

 ing Lamellicorn beetle is Odontaeiis armiger Scop, {mobilicornis F.), of 

 which we have three or four records. These captures detract in no 

 way from our ignorance of the economy of this insect, as they have 

 all been made in the evening, either by the beetle flying into a lighted 

 room, or by its flight being intercepted by a net or otherwise. 



It may here be appropriately mentioned that although we have 

 no record of the typical form of Anomala aenea from the district, its 

 entirely dark blue variety (cyanea Torre) has been taken. The occurr- 

 ence of this form here and in other sandy localities in Surrey, as well 

 as in the New Forest, leads me to speculate as to whether this may 

 not be predominately the inland form of the species. So far the only 

 evidence I have to support such a theory is that supplied me by 

 Mr. S. E. Ashby, who reports that out of 24 specimens of Anomala 

 taken in the New Forest in 1910, and 7 in 1911 — in the first year 17, 



