COLEOPTERA. 



831 



the sugar. It appeared to be seeking the nest, and flew off on my 

 turning the light on to it. I now thought out and constructed a trap 

 which enabled me to do without night work, and to visit it in the day- 

 time, feeling safe that any beetles which had got in at night would be 

 waiting for me next day. I visited the spot nearly every day, and out 

 of this one trap I took in all ten specimens. Later on I found some 

 other hornets' nests, but they did not prove nearly so prolific, as I only 

 took one Velleins each out of two of the other nests, making up my 

 total of twelve specimens. One of my specimens is a gigantic c? . 

 Fowler {Col. Brit. Mcs, ii., p. 22G) points out that the species varies 

 very considerably in size and says the largest specimens reach 25mm. 

 My large (^ measures 32mm. ! -Ism. 



Sph^rites glabratus, F., in Cumberland. — Records of this species 

 for the British Isles appear to be confined to the Tweed,_Tay and Dee 

 districts of Scotland, with the exception of a single specimen taken by 

 Hardy, at Wooler, in Northumberland. It will, therefore, be of interest 

 to put on record the capture of two fine specimens on June 23rd last 

 by Mr. H. Britten and myself near the village of Great Salkeld, in 

 Cumberland. They occurred to us from a dead crow lying on the 

 ground in a fir plantation, and though Mr. Britten has had that 

 particular carcase (and others near it) under constant observation ever 

 since, no more SjiJtaerites has turned up. Canon Fowler {Col. Bnt. 

 Ides, vol. iii., p. 72) mentions that it occurs " under bark of dead 

 trees, in decaying fungi, and at oozing sap, also in dung." — Frank H. 

 Day, F.E.S., 6, Currock Terrace, Carlisle. September 18th, 1901. 



Coleoptera at Colchester. — Not having been able to devote 

 much time to coleoptera during the past season, my list of captures is 

 short and few species new to the district have been met with. Small 

 ponds in a gravel pit produced a series of Berosus afjinis, some Pelohius 

 tardus, and single specimens of Di/tisciis marginalis and Cnenwlotus 

 wipressus, and by pulling up weeds in a swift narrow current of the 

 river we found Deronectes deprcssus, D. 12-p)(stidatHS and Brychiiis 

 elevatus, the moss on some flood-gates near producing a few Dianons 

 caerulescens. Among the captures on the sea-coast were Brachinus 

 crepitans (including some very small examples), Tclephorus oralis, 

 Dasijtes pliDjibens and Harpalns puncticollis. By working manure- 

 heaps and stack-bottoms during May we obtained Microf/lossa sutiiralis, 

 Heterothops dissinrilis, Cri/topJiaf/us bicolur, Kuuiicrus tarsatiis, Aphodiiis 

 lividus, Stilicus orhicnlatus and other species, while Siinius intermedins, 

 Bryaxis haematica, and B. fossidata were found under dead leaves 

 earlier in the year. A visit to Ipswich produced Harpalns discoidens 

 and other species under stones, Aphodins i-macnlotus (3), A.incjuinatns 

 and Geotrnpes vernalis. Two or three Crepidodcra nitidnla, and a 

 number of Phytodecta rufipes were obtained by sweeping young aspens 

 in a wood near Bures, and in the same locality a ? of Mordellistena 

 ahdoDiinalis. Rliyncliites aeneorirens, U. betnleti, R. populi, E. pubesee)is, 

 CryptocepJtalns lineolu and C. sexpnnvtatns occurred sparingly in woods, 

 and a specimen of Scaplriilinm i-iiiacnlatnni was found under a log. 

 Orsodacna lineola was very scarce, three specimens being taken by 

 beating oak-trees, which also produced Tn.mtns vieridiamis, Tudopns 

 nebulosus and Conopalpns testacens. Among the other species taken 

 were Harpalns punctatnlns, H. sabnlicnla (on flowers), Eltynchites 

 conirus, Ocypus compressns, Triholium confnsnm and other species. — 

 B. Harwood, Colchester. 



