1921.] 81 



the mid. Me therefore placed one of these insects in front of a fresh 

 batch of F. Lriis)<ic(ie eggs. It paused for a few moments, then felt 

 over the eggs with its antennae, and tinally plunged its rostrum into the 

 basal part of an egg, which, as is well known, is shaped like a champagne 

 bottle. It remained quite still in this position, and soon sucked the e^^ 

 dry. It then passed to another and another, until mo.-.t of the batch had 

 been emptied (Bull. Ent. Soc. Fr. 1!)U0). 



Like most species of Xahis, this insect is dimorphous in both sexes : 

 the usual form, the brachypterous one, has Ixjtli hcmielytra and wings 

 present, and consisting of the usual parts, Itut they are considerably 

 abbreviated. The macropterous form is very rare in this country, only 

 five specimens being recorded, one in the Cambridge Museum {ex. coll. 

 Jeni/Hs), taken at Bottlsham ; one in the "Power" collection, taken 

 at Woolacombe ; one taken by E. Saunders at liournemouth ; one by 

 B. S. Harwood at Colchester in 1905 ; and a fifth by E. A. Atmore at 

 Hunstanton, Sept. 10, 1906. According to Futon, in France the 

 macropterous form occurs chiefiy in the south, wliere it is iu)t uncommon. 

 Whether the macropterous examples make much use of their wings is 

 not known ; the brachy]iterous ones are scarcely likely to do so, and in 

 such a case one wondei's why the abbreviation has stt)pped where it has, 

 and has not become complete by the total disappearance of flight organs. 

 The only reason I can suggest for the arrest of the process at the present 

 stage is that these remnants of hemielytra and wings, though useless for 

 flight, may be found advantageous for the strengthening of the body, 

 as they overlap what is apparently the weakest point in the bodies of all 

 Heteroptera, viz. the junction of thorax and abdomen. 



X. lativentris is found over practically the whole of Europe, except 

 the north of Russia ; also in Marocco, Algeria, Syria, and Asia Minor. 

 In Britain it is widely distributed, being recorded from all the coast 

 counties of England stretching from Northumberland round to Somerset 

 inclusive, except Yorks, and also from Cheshire, Cambs, Oxon, Bucks, 

 Herts, Surrey, Berks, and Wilts ; in Wales it has been met with in the 

 counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthen, and Pembroke. There are no 

 records from Scotland, but it occurs in Ireland. 



J 4 l>ivlaiKls Road, 



llorusey, N. 8. 



February Uih, lOi'l. 



