340 THR E\TOAIOI.OrHST's RRCORD. 



we found a nice lot of Aerjialia sabideti, Payk., a welcome capture, and 

 Melasoma aeneinn, L., was to be picked off in plenty from the under- 

 sides of the leaves of the dripping alders, — Frank H. Day, 17, 

 Thirlemere Street, Carlisle. Octohrr 2lst, 1902. 



Chrysomfxa banksi, F., in North Kent. — It may be of interest to 

 London coleopterists to know that this handsome Chri/souida is still to 

 be met with in the neitihbourhood of the metropolis, notwithstanding 

 the encroachments of that fiend in entomological eyes, the suburban 

 builder ! The sight of a fine series recently taken by my friend, Mr. 

 F. W. Terry, and his kind directions as to finding the habitat, in con- 

 junction with the " aching void " above the specific label in my col- 

 lection, were quite sufficient inducements to me to journey to the 

 locality next day, when I had the pleasure of boxing upwards of a 

 dozen specimens, several more being seen but not taken. The species 

 here lives upon Ballota ni(jra (Mr. Terry informs me that he takes it 

 in Cornwall on bracken), growing on the grassy bank of a lane, but 

 although several were perched on the tallest flower-heads of their food- 

 plant, they were not so conspicuous as from their size and colour might 

 be supposed. I may remark, however, that these Kentish specimens 

 seem to me to run smaller than others I have seen from Ireland and 

 the west of England, Several localities in North Kent are given for 

 C. bankd by Fowler, but most of these are now probably destroyed. 

 The only other species of any interest met with on the same day were 

 a specimen of (J. lamina and the little Lonnitaisns balhitac, Marsh., 

 which was common on the Ballota. — F. B, Jennings. F.E.S., 152, 

 Silver Street, Upper Edmonton, N. October, 1902. 



Discharge by Anchomenus .junceus. — A few days ago I pillboxed 

 five specimens of Anchnuieniis jioicfHs when collecting in Whitley 

 Wood in the New Forest. On returning home I noticed such a curious 

 occurrence in respect to one of them, that it seems worth recording. 

 On turning one of them out of the pillbox, and touching it with a piece 

 of cardboard dipped in chloroform to quiet it, it immediately sent out, 

 from both sides of its abdomen, jets of dense white vapour, on touching 

 it a second time it repeated this. The vapour was very dense, and did 

 not condense for some time. On returning it to the box and opening 

 the box shortly after, I found the box full of white vapour, so it must 

 have let ofi' the steam a third time. I know that the bombardier 

 beetle does something of this sort on a small scale, also I know a South 

 American beetle that does this, and that the vapour leaves a mark like 

 caustic on the fingers, but this is the first decided instance of the sort 

 I have met with in England. — B. Piffard, Ivy Cottage, Brocken- 

 hurst, Hants. November 25ih, 1902. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



The abdominal male tuft of Xylophasia monoglypha (polyodon). — 

 I find on the male of Xi/lophasia inonoiiljipha {pohjndon) a deep groove 

 opening to the exterior on the 3rd and 4th segments of the abdomen. 

 The groove is prolonged anteriorly in a cul-de-sac, which is contained 

 within the 2nd segment and reaches nearly to the front of the ablomen. 

 It has a chitinous lining, continuous at the margin of the groove with 

 the general investment of the body. From the bottom of the cul-de-sac 

 there arises a tuft of long silky hairs which extend back to the 



