354 THE entomologist's record. 



other explanation than the presence of the struggle for existence. Such 

 species as Donaria discolor, Adimonia sxturalis, Sen'ea hnninca, and 

 several others (some of which were taken in numbers), must have been 

 involuntarily carried to the summit through the agency of winds or 

 strong upward currents of air. It is an admitted fact, I believe, that 

 the steering power of beetles is not great, whilst the horny elytra act 

 as vanes, putting the insects at the mercy of strong winds. In connec- 

 tion with this subject we may consider the fact that many beetles, 

 which are winged more or less perfectly in continental areas, lose 

 their wings or possess them only in an atrophied condition when 

 localised at high altitudes or in oceanic islands — such a resource 

 serving better to preserve the species in relation to those particular 

 environments. ]Mr. Bruce found quantities of insects on the snow. Is 

 it possible that the white glistening snoAv-cap has some power of 

 attracting insects ? Or is it simply due to the fact that insects are very 

 clearly shown up on the sheet of snow, and numbers killed by the low 

 temperature of the snow wind ? " 



The species enumerated by Thornley are as follows : — Carabiis 

 violaceits, Notio]>hilus hUiuttatus, N. aquatic us/'- Xebria (lyllcnludii,'- 

 Loricera jnlicornis, Anchotnouis pariimpiinctatns, yiijcetoporus lepidiis, 

 M. jiiinctus, Tachinus eloiuiatus,''' T. rujipes, Philontlms ruarginatus, P. 

 variiis, P. laminatus, Ojcytelus rwjosus, Platystethus arenarins, Lesteva 

 lowjelytrata,-' Acidota crenata/' Helophoriis niyostis, H. aeneipennis, 

 Cercyon Jiavipes, Silpha opaca, Coccinella hieroylyphica, C. 10-piinctata, 

 Byrrhus fasciatus, B. pillula/'' B. dorsalis/'- Cytilus varius, Aphodiiis 

 punctatosidcatns, A. Jimetarins, A. lapponnm/- Serica hrunnea,''"- Phyllo- 

 ptertha horticola, Geotntpes sylraticus,'''- Cryptohypnus riparius,''' Athdns 

 vittatns, A. haeinorrhoidalis, Coryinbites ciipreus var. aeruyinonus,''' C. 

 querciis and ab. ochropterus/'- Dascilliis cerviniis, Telephorns jiyuratus, 

 T. lituratus, T. paludosus/'- Rayonycha liiiibata, Ihmacia discolor, 

 Gastroidea raphani, Lochmaea siituralis, Haltica piisilla, Rhayium 

 inquisitor, Polydrusus cervinus, Hypera pollux and Salpinyns aeratns. 



Sharp says [in litt.) : "In this Ben Nevis list only the species 

 marked ''■'■ could in any sense be considered as natives of e/en the 

 lower slopes of the mountain, so that the great majority must have 

 been wind-carried to the top from perhaps long distances. This is 

 curiously confirmed by some facts which have just lately come under 

 my notice on Snowdon. I was at Llanberis for a week, in August, with 

 my friend Mr. Burgess Sopp, of Hoylake. While I was there it rained 

 all day, and every day, and all I did was a very little collecting at the 

 summit, in a blinding rain, and under the most disadvantageous 

 circumstances possible. I, however, took a Byrrhus in the wet moss, 

 which I cannot specify exactly, but which I believe will turn out to be 

 the same species as the one recorded by Mr. Thornley on Ben Nevis, 

 and I am inclined to believe that, whatever it may be, it is native to 

 that elevation and not wind-blown. I also took Acidota which is 

 undoubtedly bred there. However, after I had returned and the 

 weather had ameliorated, Mr. Sopp and Mr. B. Tomlin went up again 

 and found the shores of a tarn about 2000ft. or 2500ft up, simply alive 

 with lowland beetles. Mr. Tomlin has a list of, I believe, over 100 

 such species, and curiously enough Salpinyns aeratns, a species recorded 

 from Ben Nevis, and which certainly passes its larval life in the wood 

 or bark of iir trees figured conspicuously among them. As Mr. Tomlin 



