272 THE entomologist's record. 



We have received a copy of the above paper, a review of which is sure 

 to be of interest to our coleopterist readers. In it the author goes 

 very fully into both the variation and distribution of the species 

 belonging to this genus. He deals with the distribution of the whole 

 genus throughout the world, and shows that many of our species have 

 a very wide range indeed. He touches in a very interesting manner 

 on the means of dispersal of insects, and points out that the transport 

 of cattle has played the most important part with this genus. After 

 some notes on the life-history of these creatures he passes on to the 

 subject of variation. He divides the lines of variation into five classes 

 as follows : — 



1. Species which are nominally black or patchy occasionally tend to lighter 

 shades. 



2. Where the elytra, normally black, with the apex reddish, or with a red 

 spot or markings, tend occasionally to become unicolorous at the expense of the 

 red. 



3. Where elytra normally red, become black. 



4. Where elytra normally yellow with black markings, become — (a) nearly 

 all black at the expense of the jDaler colour, (h) nearly all yellow without any black. 



5. Where the elytra normally red, become chestnut-brown. This appears a 

 step towards variation 4. 



He says the causes are probably natural selection for protective pur- 

 poses, and climatic influences, such as humidity, temperature, etc. We 

 cannot agree with our author as to natural selection not having much 

 to do with the fact that in some species the red form predominates 

 and in others the black. It appears to us the only explanation can be 

 the fact that natural selection has seized on the tendency to vary in 

 anyone species, whether to red or black, and utilized it to the best advan- 

 tage for that species. He then points out that in the so-called species 

 A. foetenx and A./iint'torins, there is no real or reliable specific difference, 

 which is undoubtedly the case. He then gives a complete list of all the 

 British species with their synonymy, distribution, dates of occurrence, 

 and other valuable notes, and makes a point of bringing forward all 

 the named aberrations and varieties that have occurred, or are known to 

 occur in Britian, a thing which has not been done heretofore. We 

 may mention that he uses the words " variety " and " aberration " in 

 such a manner that one knows at once what he means, and does not 

 have to wonder if he is talking about an occasional variety, local race, 

 or mere sport. Of the ne^v aberrations described by him we may 

 mention two parallel cases — 



A. foetens, F., ab. 1. hypocastaneus, n. ab.— Elytra rich chestnut-brown 

 almost running to black, abdomen red. New Forest, May 1896, in cow-dung 

 (F. Bouskell). 



A. fimetariiis, L., ab. 1. castctneus, n. ab. — Elytra deep chestnut-brown ; near 

 Leicester in numbers (J. H. Woolley). 



As to the value of giving names to aberrations and varieties we are 

 aware that many British coleopterists disagree with the practice, but 

 we think everyone will admit that it is more convenient to have a name 

 for a distinct aberration than to say " the chestnut-brown form of A. 

 foeteuK," or whatever it is, as the case may be. We also deplore the incon- 

 sistency of our catalogues, in which some trifling aberrations have 

 names to them, whilst other more distinct named forms are conspicuous 

 by their absence. One man will perhaps admit Ajtthona noiistriata, ab. 

 aenescens, Weise, which is only a colour variety, because it was brought 

 forward as British in his favourite magazine, and ignore, say, Mr. 



