258 [NoTember, 



Myelophilus minor Htg. in Britain. — British Coleopterists have hitherto 

 considered this species as being extremely rare in this country. This is 

 probably because of its close resemblance, both in structure and in habits, to its 

 ubiquitous relative, M. jnniperda L, It may not be amiss, therefore, to call 

 attention to a very valuable contribution on its life-history and bionomics by 

 Dr. W. Ritchie (Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. lii, no. 10, 1917). This author found 

 it in very large numbers breeding on Scots Pine over an area of 15 miles, near 

 Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. AVithin this area, at any rate, it is ranked as being 

 on an equal footing with M. piniperda as a forest pest, if anything more 

 injurious, as it constructs horizontal egg-galleries. Its distribution has been 

 further extended by Dr. J. W. IMunro, who states in his paper on a " Survey 

 of Forest Insect Conditions in the British Isles " (Bull. 2, I'orestry Commission, 

 1920) that he has found it not only in Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire (on 

 the Ballogie and Balfour Estates), but also in Forfarshire and Perthshire. It 

 is very probable that its range will be still further extended if collectors look 

 for this species. — F. Laing, British Museum (Nat. Hist.) : October \-ith, 1920. 



Bare beetles in a bread-roll at Plymouth. — In a large size (about 9 inches 

 cube) biscuit-tin, used as a "larder" at my office AA'heu pressure of business 

 makes a light meal there necessary, I discovered in June last a long-neglected 

 bread-roll, green with mould and hard as a brick. With the roll in the tin 

 was also a small jar of jam which had become fermented ; but there was no 

 accumulation of crumbs, and within the year the tin bad been cleansed with 

 boiling water. On breaking up the roll several larvae and six Cryptophagid 

 beetles were found, which proved to be Henotictis germonicus Reitt.* The 

 fragments of the bread were then put into a quart glass measure and securely 

 tied down with several layers of paper; later fresh bread was added. In 

 September the bread was examined and five more Cryptopliagids obtained. 

 These, unfortunately, were not Henoticus, but onl}' a species of Cryptophayvs, 

 which as yet has not been determined. Amongst the debris I was rewarded, 

 however, with a Cartodere that I was unable satisfactorily to name, but which 

 Mr. E. A. Newbery kindly tells me he has no doubt whatever is the rare 

 C.Jili/onnis Gyll. The biscuit-tin, I should add, was always kept with its lid 

 tightly closed. — James H. Kkvs, 7 Whimple Street, Plymouth : October ,1920. 



Notes 071 Hyjfhnyitidium { = Caterenma Meyr.) terebrella Z/c — Since this 

 moth was placed on the British list by Lord Walsingham in 1886 {cf. Ent. Mo. 

 Mag. xxiii, p. 82), little further information as to its occurrence in Britain 

 seems to have been published. It is recorded from Norfolk on\j, and is 

 apparently still considered a rarity. A few additional records, indicating that 

 the insect has a much wider distribution in England, may therefore be of 

 intei'est. Spruce-cones containing larvae of this species were found by my 

 friend, Mr. TI. G. Champion, in the FainLam district of Surrey. Two 

 specimens bred by him in 1914 are now in the Hope Department, Oxford 

 University Museum. In the spring of 1915 I was surprised to hud stunted 

 cones, appearing to contain larvae of this species, rather plentiful under some 

 old spruce-trees in the Tubuey district (North Berkshire). Two fine specimens 

 of the moth emerged on June 10th and lllh respective!}' ; the rest of the 



* Of. £nt. Mo. Mag. 1912, p. L's6; 1913, p. 176.— Eds. 



