BY JOHN WALTON. 5 



S. pleuritica and ^S*. subaurata. — I have not the shghtest he- 

 sitation in uniting these two species of Mr. Kirby. I speak 

 confidently, because I have taken them in the autumn of last 

 year, in the utmost profusion, by sweeping grassy fields. S. 

 pleuritica is smaller, and of a more slender form than the ^S*. sub- 

 aurata, — the latter is of a larger, broader, and of a more robust 

 form; in fact, the regular gradation, or law of continuity, in a 

 good series, is evident throughout : in recent and good spe- 

 cimens, the elytra are beautifully tessellated, and.^there are two 

 distinct spots on the thorax, — a character common to all the 

 recent varieties, however small, that I have seen. This spe- 

 cies is NOT hispid. S. suturalis has the habit of *S'. hispidulus, 

 but it is at once distinguished from the latter by its being pu- 

 bescent. Its sub-immersed eyes, and its lineated suture, dis- 

 tinguish it at once from all the other species of this genus. It 

 seems to be provincial, being found in Wales and Yorkshire : 

 all the other species are discriminated by specific characters so 

 distinct, that it would be perfectly superfluous to make any 

 observations upon them. I must now refer to a series of each 

 species, deposited in a drawer at the Entomological Society of 

 London ; they are not so full and complete as I could wish, 

 because I had no idea of writing this paper before I came to 

 London, consequently I did not bring up with me a full series 

 of varieties. I refer also to Mr. Kirby 's collection ; and also 

 to a good series of each species, in the cabinet of the Entomo- 

 logical Club. 



Genus. — Polydrusus. 



I have very few remarks to make upon this genus. P. amaurus 

 of Marsham, seems to be a variety of P. confluens ; and the 

 P. amaurus of Mr. Kirby's MSS. is a Phyllobius Mali : this 

 name, since it does not represent a species, must sink into a 

 synonyme. P. marginatus is a good species, and very local, 

 the only known habitat being birch-wood. P. pidchellus 

 may be a species ; there is a single example in Mr. Stephens's 

 cabinet, taken at Darenth Wood. P. cervinus is like one of 

 the Protean species of the genus Sitona ; it varies as much in 

 size, and in the colour of its scales, from a green, greyish blue, 

 silvery, to a copper. P. melanotus is a variety of the preceding. 

 P. sericeus seems a distinct species, from a specimen in the 



