302 THE entomologist's record. 



require a strong lens to distinguish it. Two specimens without the band 

 were captured by me at the Black Pond, Esher, in 1885 ; also, in the 

 same year, a specimen entirely sufifused with purple. The beetle occurs 

 more commonly on Typha latifolia in June and July, but is found also 

 on iris and other aquatic plants. Besides Esher, I have found it at 

 Farnham and Walthamstow. 



D. semicuprea, Panz. — It is to be hoped that the name of this species 

 is now settled. In 187 1 and 1883 Sharp calls it Z>. seinicuprea, Panz. : 

 in 1883, Fowler and Matthews call it D. simplex, F, ; in Fowler's Coleop. 

 Brit. Isles (1890) the term semicuprea, Panz., is again restored. Pax 

 vobiscum I The insect is rather common in what some coleopterists 

 describe as the " London district " — the said district includes rather a 

 wide area, so wide, indeed, that I would recommend the term to persons 

 who desire to altogether suppress the name of any locality in the south 

 of England, when recording their captures. To revert to the subject, 

 D. semicuprea occurs chiefly on Spargatiium, rushes, etc., and is certainly 

 very common where it occurs. The localities in which I have captured 

 it are : Farnham, Sheire, Sunbury, Shepperton, Wanstead Park, Wal- 

 thamstow, Hackney Marshes, etc. 



D. clavipes, F. — Synonymous with D. )nenyanthidis, Gyll., by which 

 name it is called by Sharp ([871) and Fowler and Matthews (1883). 

 One of the largest species of Donacia. It occurs early, from about May 

 25th to June 25th. It may be later in some seasons, but its period is 

 more regular than its congeners, never lasting more than about four 

 weeks. I once met with a few dirty specimens in July, but, as a rule, I 

 do not expect to find it after June. The favourite foodplant seems to 

 be Arundo phragmites, in the old stems of which it may be found at the 

 Black Pond, Esher, by anyone who does not mind wading for it, in 

 May and June. As a fact, Donacia species are obtained in greater 

 quantity in this way than by simply sweeping with the net. On one 

 afternoon in 1885 Mr. Cripps and myself took 1,000 insects by wading 

 in and picking the beetles off the aquatic plants. Mr. Heasler took a 

 great number of this species at Deal in 1890. 



D. cinerea, Herbst. — Formerly known as D. hydrochceridis, F. Many 

 of the old names of the members of this genus were derived from the 

 plants on which the beetles were found, and served very well indeed ; 

 but in accordance with the laws of priority they have, unfortunately, to 

 be discarded. The present species differs from all others in our British 

 list, inasmuch that the upper surface is closely covered with pubescence. 

 The only occasion on which I had the good fortune to capture it was 

 on Jubilee day, £887, at Woking, when I netted six specimens. These 

 were clinging to a species of reed. 



D. sericea, L. {D. proleus, Steph.) and D. discolor, Panz. {D. Lomari, 

 Suffr.). — The general characteristics of the insects described under 

 these names are almost identical, and, at the time of writing, I know of 

 no reliable feature by which they may be dift'erentiated. Indeed, I 

 doubt whether there are two distinct species. In the first place, the same 

 variation in colour exists in each of the so-called species, — from black, 

 blue-black, coppery, red, green, blue, in endless shades. The size also 

 is as variable. In separating discolor and sericea the main points relied 

 on by Mr. E. W. Janson {Annual, 1861) were " the structure of its an- 

 tennae and thorax, and its parallel elytra. In D. comari {discolor) the 



