1913.] 137 



in the Shetlands, as Dr. Sharp in his Coleoptera of Scotland (Scottish Naturalist, 

 Vol. II, p. 3.50) remarked that he possessed a specimen from that locality in 

 which the elytra were red instead of jj^reen, but he referred it to var. nitidicollis, 

 Boisd. Messrs. Thos. Blackburn and C. E. Lilley in their " Notes on the Knto- 

 mology of Shetland " (I.e., p. 349) record " PMlonthtis uarius (red var. common)." 

 It is not quite clear from their paj^er, however, whether the type form or only 

 the variety occurred. Canon Fowlei in his "Coleoptera of the British Islands" 

 (Vol. II, p. 265) ti'eated var. nitidicollis, Boisd., as synonymous with var. 

 limaculatus, Grav., and stated that " in this variety the elytra are entirely red, 

 or dark only at the base ; it is somewhat rare, but widely distributed : Cowley, 

 near London, Portsmouth (without type form), York, &c. ; it has occurred as far 

 north as the Shetland Islands." The two forms, however, are not identical, as 

 is indicated in the last European Catalogue, and Eeitter, in " Die Khfer des 

 Deutschen Eeiches " (Fauna Germanica), separates them as follows: — 



a. bimaculatus, Grav. Black, elytra shining bronze, with a large oval ajjical 



spot red. 

 h. nitidicollis, Boisd. Black, elytra red, the base, sides and suture more or 



less narrowly black, shining bronze. 

 Var. shetlandicus would therefore appear to be an extreme form distinguisnable 

 from either bimaculatus or nitidicollis. It remains for future investigators of 

 the Coleoptera of Shetland to ascertain whether var. shetlandicus is the only form 

 of the species occurring there Owing to the confiision in synonymy it is difficult 

 to gather from Fowler whether the form with the elytra entirely red has occurred 

 on the mainland, but perhaps this note will be the means of eliciting information 

 which may clear up the point. 



Philonthus varius var. shetlandicus, Poppius, is included in the Addenda to 

 the last European Catalogiie. — A. Fergusson, 22, Polworth Gardens, Glasgow, 

 W. : April 22nd, 1913. 



Wingless ivinter moths. — In my last note on this subject I carelessly omitted 

 reference to a decisive circumstance. It is well known to economic entomologists 

 that complete protection against the larvae of these insects can be obtained for 

 fruit trees by any effective device tha.t prevents their stems being climbed by 

 the 9 moths. I have seen this knowledge satisfactorily used in some orchards 

 in Herefordshire. — T. A. Chapman, Reigate : April, 1913. 



Hedychridium coriaceum and Crabro albilabris. — Noticing that in the last 

 (April) number of Ent. Mo. Mag., my friend Mr. Mortimer credits me with the 

 suggestion that if. coriaceum, Dhlb. is a pai'asite of Crabro albilabris, Pz., I 

 think I ought to say that this suggestion is not my own, but was first made to 

 me in a letter by Mr. G. Arnold, and afterwards published by him in Ent. Mo. 

 Mag,, January, 1908. Personally I can offer no evidence on the point ; and it 

 has always seemed to me strange that if H. coriaceum is really associated 

 regularly with so extremely common a species as C. albilabris, it should not 

 itself be more common than it appears to be. At any rate, if the association be 

 a regular one, it is not to me, but to Mr. Arnold, that the credit of discovering 

 it is due. 



