102 THE kntomologist's kecokd. 



first laid, becoming almost crimson to the naked eye in the course of 

 a few days. The eggs are scattered about on the tiny splinters which 

 project from the inside of a chip-box, sometimes clustered together in 

 little batches of as many as a dozen, at others laid singly. The most 

 remarkable character of these eggs is that they are laid upright, that 

 is with the micropyle at the apex, and in no instance is there a single 

 egg laid on its long side. This resemblance to a butterfly egg is 

 enhanced by its peculiar shape and ribbing. In shape it is not unlike 

 a Pieridegg, presenting a long oval in outline, but with truncated apex. 

 There are fourteen vertical ribs, somewhat sharp-edged, running from 

 the base to the apex, but having a crenulated appearance where the 

 series of eighteen transverse ribs crosses their upper edges. These ribs 

 end on the margin of the flattened apex, in a series of knobs ; within 

 the area thus enclosed the apex is pitted with rather coarse polygonal 

 cells, and is depressed considerably centrally, ending in a distinct 

 stellar depression, at the base of which is the micropyle proper. The 

 colour at this stage is pale yellow, but so plentifully sprinkled with 

 large, irregular, bright red patches, that the egg, to the naked eye, 

 looks entirely crimson. [Described June 23rd, 1898, under a f-lens, 

 from eggs laid on June 18th, received from Mr. F. G. Whittle.]- — 



J. W. TUTT. 



Coremia desyjnata {propH(jnata). — The eggs were laid singly or in 

 pairs on the inside of the box in which the female was confined. All 

 were laid on the flat side, and are pale yellow when laid. The egg is 

 roughly oval in outline, but rather broader at the micropylar end than 

 at its nadir. It forms a flattened disc or ellipsoid, with an oval de- 

 pression on the upper surface, occupying about one-half that surface. 

 The egg is somewhat fuller (thicker) at the micropylar end than at its 

 nadir. It is covered with a strongly marked irregularly polygonal 

 reticulation, the meshes much larger on the central portions of the 

 egg. The micropyle is situated centrally, at the fullest end, and con- 

 sists of a slightly flattened area, with a central depression, the pitting 

 of the area mmute, and the area itself surrounded by concentric rings 

 of the polygonal reticulation, which gradually increases in size as it 

 recedes from the micropyle. [Egg described under a f-lens, on June 

 7th, 1898, from eggs laid June 5th, by a $ captured at Beddington, 

 Surrey, on June 4th.] — J. W. Tutt. 



OLEOPTERA. 



Thryogenes scirrhosus and its congeners. — In view of the 

 difterent opinions with regard to this species held by Mr. Newbery and 

 the authors of the last catalogue of British coleoptera, it has occurred 

 to me that the distinctive characters of our three species of Thnjo(/enes 

 might be usefully restated. The characters given for their separation 

 in Cox's Handbook I find of no use whatever. The real distinctive 

 characters are given by Canon Fowler, but in the customary form, 

 and this does not indicate the real state of things so clearly as might 

 be wished. For example, in all three species the clothing of the 

 elytra consists entirely of scales, those forming the pale stripe on the 

 sutural interstices being more broadly rounded and different in charac- 

 ter from the remainder ; but whereas the latter, in T. scirrhnsus are 

 quite narrow and hair-like, in the other two species they are broadly 



