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Art. XIII. — Observations on Hesperophilus arenarius and 

 on Zabrus gibbus. By the Rev. G. T. Rudd, M. A. 

 F.L.S. 



Sir, — If the following observations are not too trifling for 

 insertion in your valuable Magazine, allow me to beg a corner 

 for them. 



Hesperophilus arenarius. — In the summer of 1832, the 

 estuary of the Tees was a favourite collecting locality of mine, 

 as I captured many " good" Coleopterous insects from under 

 the " rejectamenta" of its shores. The river here flows over 

 many hundred acres at high water, but to an inconsiderable 

 depth. On a beautiful day in September, I was enjoying 

 a delightful ramble along the Yorkshire shore, — the breeze 

 was blowing gently from the west: on my return, the tide 

 had begun to flow, — it was the first of the spring tides. As 

 1 approached the sea, my route being due north, my attention 

 was attracted by observing multitudes of small insects floating 

 before the breeze, and dropping below, and just above, high- 

 water mark — Hesperophilus arenarius was the insect. My 

 track was continued for perhaps a mile, and below high-water 

 mark ; the flight of Hesperophili was also continued, and in 

 such profusion were they, that, at one sweep of my net, I 

 caught as many as filled a large pill-box ! 



The unusual flight of this burrowing and night-loving 

 beetle, and in such immense numbers, excited my curiosity ; 

 I was therefore anxious to pry a little into the matter. 

 Whence did they come? was the first question. To solve 

 this, I changed my line of march, and went due west, towards 

 the flowing tide. I soon walked beyond the point whence 

 these tiny creatures had started; for, after I had proceeded 

 about one hundred yards, not an Hesperophilus was to be 

 seen, though, as I advanced, many were on the wing, or 

 crawling from their sandy homes. The fact evidently was, 

 that these insects had all taken flight from a space included 

 between a point some distance below high-water mark and 

 a line drawn at one hundred yards or more parallel to and 

 below it. My curiosity was so far satisfied. But what would 

 become of the multitudes that dropped many yards below 



