1905.] j_]5 



Some ver}^ interesting facts are brought out in Dr. Dixey's paper 

 above refei-red to My own observations on the scents of ludian 

 butterflies should appear in the Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society for the current year. 



Highlands, Putney Heath : 



January \2th, 1905. 



ON ORCEESTES SPAESUS, Fahe., AS A BRITISH INSECT. 

 T!T E. A. NEWBERT. 



Tn a short paper in this Magazine (Ent. iNIo. Mag., xl, 133) on 

 some errors of determination in the Power collection, I stated my 

 opinion that the insect standing as Orcliesfes sparsiis, Eahr., w-as only 

 a small form of O. ilicis, Fab. In the January No. (Ent. Mo. Mng., 

 xli, 20) Mr. Donisthorpe has called in question the accuracy of that 

 view, and supported his opinion by stating that Messrs. C. 0. and E. 

 A. Waterhouse agree vi-ith him that the insect in question is O. 

 sparsus. He then gives some vague generalities which he considers 

 are sufficient to separate the two species. 



In order to save the valuable space of this Magazine, I did not 

 give the reasons on which I founded my opinion, but as my accuracy 

 has been disputed I will now proceed to do so. 



According to modern authors, the differences between the two 

 species are structural and subgeneric. Seidlitz (Fauna Transsylvanica, 

 2nd ed., 1891, p. 718) distinguishes the two subgenera thus : — 

 Antennae inserted in the middle of rostrum ; front femora with a small thorn-like 



tooth in middle of under-side ; hind femora angled or widened tooth-like in 



middle. subg. Orchestes, i. sp. (including ilicis, F., and some others). 



Antennre inserted behind the middle of rostrum, with very short scape. 



subg. Threcticus, Th. (including sparsus, Fahr., and some others). 

 Bedel (Fn. Seine, vi, 124) does not make much use of subgenera 

 in his work, but places the insects in separate groups and uses much 

 the same characters, thus : — 

 Scape twice as long as the first joint of the funiculus, and inserted after the first 



3rd of rostrum. q. pUosus, F., = ilicis, F. (and some others). 



Scape scarcely longer than the first joint of the funiculus, and inserted before the 



first 3rd of rostrum. q. sparsus, Fahr. (and some others). 



An examination of the so-called O. sparsus in the Power collection 

 will at once show that it has a long slender scape, which is twice as 

 long as the first joint of the funiculus, and that the position of the 

 antennae on the rostrum corresponds with that given for the subgenus 

 Orchestes, i. sp. There can be no question about this, and it is quite 



