1922,] S^v 



Hypera mclrs F. and other Colroplera in a IvfcmcfM at Wickev.—Micr 

 the close of the meeting of the British Association at Hall, I spent six days 

 with my friend, Ih: J. E. Black, at Wicken, from September 14th to 20th. 

 The weather, however, was unsatisfactory, and we had only one really fine 

 day, September 18th. On the way to the Fen from the village was a small 

 patch of lucerne in full flower, which was being mown ; a casual sweep by 

 Mr. Black on the 16th produced a specimen of Hypera variabilis Ilbst., so on 

 the afternoon of the 18th, while my friend was busy setting some of his 

 captures, I decided to try my luck in this lucerne patch, and was much 

 pleased with the result. I secured, with plenty of H. variabilis, three (Liter 

 in the day Mr. Black captured another) specimens of a second species of the 

 oenus, which turned out to be the rare H. meles F. I provisionally determined 

 these specimens to be this species with the help of the description given by 

 Canon Fowler in Vol. 5 of "Coleoptera of the British Islands"— we had the 

 volume with us-and, on my return home, I confirmed this determination by 

 comparing my specimens with the description given by Reitter m Vol. \ of 

 the " Fauna Germanica," p. 104, and also by comparing them with a specimen 

 of this species sent to me by Reitter some years ago ; the agreement was com- 

 plete in all respects. Other species brought to light by my net were Aphthona 

 euphorbiae Sc]iv. = virescens Foudr., of which I secured a series by constant 

 sweepino-Canon Fowler records this species from Wicken Fen ; Fhyllotreta 

 atra Pavk ; PsyUiodes cuprea Koch ; Balaninus glandium Marsh., m numbers, 

 evidently blown off a row of oaks which bounded one edge of the lucerne 

 patch; and several common species of 6V^o»c's in swarms-they filled the net 

 after every sweep and made it difiicult to pick out the desirable captures. The 

 thoracic and elytral scales of S. meles are quite distinctive ; Reitter considers 

 it synonymous with trifolii Hbst., and he states that it is very common in 

 Germany, the larvae feeding on Trifolium pratense.~T. Hudson Beare, 

 10 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh : October lit h, 1922. 



Pterostichus angusfatns Bufts., and Anchomenus quadripmictatus DeG., 

 etc in Kent.— When searching for Coleoptera under the bark of a fallen beech 

 near Westerham on Sept. 2Gth, I was surprised to find several specimens of 

 Anchomenus A-punctatus. As the light was already failing, I did not investi- 

 oate further than the beech, but on a subsequent occasion I made a thorough 

 search of the adjacent ground, and found both A. i-punctatus and Pterostic/ms 

 angnsiatus in some numbers. A good many pine-trees had been felled, and 

 the tops piled in heaps and burnt ; the beetles were found among the charred 

 remains and under stones and chips in the vicinity. A large tract of hr- 

 wood was felled during the war, and the ground still shows signs of 

 bavins been burnt, thus affording a good breeding-ground for these beetles 

 Tlie pine stumps are riddled with the holes of Asemum slnatvm, and 

 a sinole specimen of Criocephaius polonicus occurred on August 17th last. 

 Another interesting species, Benoticus serratus, has also turned up this year, 

 principally under the bark of partially burnt beeches, but I have also beaten 

 several from young oaks, and taken one on the wing in my garden. Homaota 

 ^Aleuonota) egregia (the third British example-the first was captui;ed at 

 Caterham, Surrev, in 1873, and the second at Sheringham, Norfolk, in 1919), 

 and H. elegantula, and Hylastes attenuatus (in plenty), have also been taken 

 on the wiuo' here.— r. IIarwood, Westerham, Kent: October 1st, U'-J. 



