1891. I 109 



brevlcollis, G. variegafa, Quedius timbrinus, Q. miricomiis (abundant), Q, attenua- 

 tus, Q. fumatus, Philonthus nigritulun, Stenus Ouynemeri (abundant), Oeodromicus 

 nigrita, Parnus striatelltis. In the streams occurred llydroporus sepfentrionalis, 

 IT. rivalis, and H. Davisi. Moss and dead leaves in woods produced a vast number 

 of species, amongst which were the following : — Lehia chlorocephala (under broom), 

 Aleochara mrcrenx, A. maculata (5), Oxypoda spectabilis, O. annularis, Ilyohates 

 nigricoUis, Homalota nilvicola, H. crasaicornis, H. pagana, H. pilicornis, S. 

 valida, $ (?), i^- niacrocera, H. cadaverina, H. intermedia, H. testudinea, H. pilo- 

 siventris, Encepkalus compHcans, Megacronus cingulatus, M. inclinans, Mycetoporus 

 lucidus, M. punctus, Habrocerus capillaricortiis (1, at World's End), Euryporus 

 j)icipes, Quedius nigriceps, Q. fumatus, Q. umhrinus, Q. scintillans, Medon brunneus> 

 Deliphrum tectum, HomaJium exiguum, Leptinus testaceus (1), Agathidium atrum, 

 A. Icevigatum, A. globosum, A. nigrinum, Amphicyllis globus, Choleva angustata, C. 

 intermedia, C. spadicea, C.fusca, Colon dentipes, Neuraphes elongatulus, Bythinus 

 puncticollis, B. validus, Bryaxis hcematica, Gonioctena pallida, Liosoma oblongu- 

 lum. In fungi were captured : — Homalota humeralis, H. oblita, H. indubia, 

 Gyrophana Poweri, Bolitochara lucida, Pocadius ferrugineus. In shingle, on banks 

 of streams : — Perileptus areolatus, Homalota cambrica, H. longula, Philonthus 

 ftdvipes, Actobius signaticornis, A. prolixus, aud Elmis parallelopipedus. On a 

 mossT bank at Netley we took Homalota perexigua, Oxytelus Fairmairei, Neuraphes 

 minutus, Scydmrfnus scutellaris, and Stilbus testaceus. Under oak bark we found 

 Quedius puncticollis. Altogether we must have taken about 200 species. — W. G. 

 Blatcii, Knowle, Birmingham : March \Mh, 1891. 



OdontcBus mobilicornis at Wellington College. — Two specimens of this scarce 

 insect were taken here on successive days in July last. They were found, one dead, 

 the other alive, but both in good condition, floating on the surface of a small pond 

 in the College grounds. — E. F. Elton, Wellington College, Berks : March \Mh, 1891. 



On the occasional development of wings in species of Hemiptera, usually 

 micropterons or apterous. — In his new, thought-suggesting book, " The Darwinian 

 Theory of the Origin of Species " {cf. p. 81, ante), at page 12, Mr. F. P. Pascoe 

 says, " Some of our Hemiptera — Nabis, Pithanns, Pyrrhocoris, &c., ordinarily wing- 

 less, are sometimes found in hot summers to have well-developed wings." In all 

 these species there are always, in their usual condition, at least rudiments of the 

 elytra, but there are others commonly quite apterous, in which at times macropterous 

 individuals appear, and then the respective forms are so different in aspect that they 

 have been deemed to be distinct species, e.^., Velia currens and rivulorum, Mesovelia 

 furcata and parra. But I do not believe that such dimorphism happens only "in 

 hot summers," for I have observed it also in cold seasons, and I may, in this con- 

 nection, recur to a note published in 1869 (Ent. Mo. Mag., vi, p. 10), in which, 

 referring to an abnormal appearance locally of many winged examples of Velia cur- 

 rens in April, 1868, I said, " What was the cause of the acquisition of wings by so 

 many individuals ? There was nothing exceptional in the weather of 1867 to favour 

 development — the insects appeared before the heat of 1868, and there have been no 

 winged ones since, as might have been expected if heat influences full development ; 

 so I apprehend the cause must be sought in other than external circumstances. At 



