830 THE entomologist's record. 



before and behind the prolegs, below iv and v, etc. They are about 

 their own width apart, and are perhaps 200 to a millimetre. This 

 specimen of a cast skin presents as perfect a specimen for the study of 

 the skin anatomy of a Psychid larva as I have ever obtained, and has 

 proved much more easy to examine than any prepared from a living 

 larva. It is, however, very unusual to be able to display a cast skin 

 in this way. 



^OLEOPTERA. 



Bledius TAURUS, Germ., ETC., IN NoRTH Wales. — The opening of a 

 new station on the L. and N.W. Railway in July suggested a visit to 

 the Point of Aire, in Flintshire, at the mouth of the estuary of the 

 river Dee. Though I did not get a large number of species, the spot 

 ought to repay further working. In one direction there is an extensive 

 hne of sandhills, while, on the riverside, the sand gradually tails oft" 

 into mud-flats. It was here that I found myriads of burrows of Blediu$, 

 the commonest species by far being B. unicornis, Germ. B. spectabilis, 

 Kr., was fairly common, but a single B. taiirus, Germ., ^ , was far 

 more noteworthy. Nothing very special occurred on the sandhills. I 

 may mention Sajjrinus maritiiiuoi, Stphs., as very common, and Aleo- 

 chara ohsciirella, Gr., whilst Ceuthorhi/nchus asperifuliarwii, Gyll., was 

 fairly common in the flowers of Echiuin ruUiare. — B, Tomlin, M.A., 

 F.E.S., Chester. 



Aphodius tessulatus, Payk.— On pages 17 and 76 of the present volume 

 I gave an account of my experiences with this insect during the autumn 

 and winter of 1902. During the past summer I searched for it carefully 

 on Arthur's Seat, but was unable to find any specimens, though other 

 members of the genus were present in the sheep-dung in numbers. 

 To-day, wishing to obtain some living specimens for an entomologist 

 residing in London, I went out to the place on the hill where the insect 

 occurred last year, and at once turned it up again in numbers. There 

 can be no doubt, therefore, that, as far as this district at any rate is 

 concerned, Aphodius temdatus is one of the species of this genus which 

 occur only in late autumn and in the winter, for, as was the case in 

 December in last year, it was to-day the only insect found in the 

 droppings ; and with it were plenty of its larva?, but still very small, 

 as if they were only recently hatched. I fancy that very likely two 

 other species of the genus, which appear to be excessively rare, are 

 also winter insects. I mean livuhts, 01., and quadnmaculatm, L., and 

 I would suggest that any coleopterist who lives in a locality in which 

 they have been taken, might find it worth his while to search sheep- 

 dung during November and December in mild weather. — T. Hudson 

 Beare, F.E.S., 10, Regent Terrace, Edinburgh, ^omnber 21st, 1903. 

 MicRAMBE abietis, Pk., FROM BERKSHIRE.— I have just happened to 

 notice in the June number of the J'Jntoniologist's Record the review of 

 the list of the coleoptera for the Victoria History of the Countij of 

 Surrey. As Micrambe abietis, Pk., is mentioned as having only been taken 

 in that county I think it worth while recording that I took an un- 

 doubted specimen by beating a fir-tree, in this neighbourhood, in July 

 last year.— Norman H. Joy, M.R.C.S., F.E.S., Bradfield, nr. Reading. 

 October 26t/t, 1903. 



