184 THE entomologist's record. 



H. Ht. J. K. Donisthorpe, tor his kind help in verifying, and in some 

 cases identifying, my records. — Hereward Dollman, 14, Newton 

 Grove, Bedford Park, W. Mat/ Idt/i, 1905. 



Cryptocephalus bipxjnctatus, L., var. thomsoni, Weise, in Sussex. 

 — 1 have a couple of this rare Cri/ptocephalus, taken by myself in 

 Sussex, in 1908. Owing to the difficulty in their identification, &c., 

 I have not been able to record them before, but, by the kindness of Mr. 

 Donisthorpe in identifying them, am able to do so now, — Hereward 

 DoLLMAN. Man 19tli, 1905. 



Scientific Coleopterology. — Authenticated " types " — What are 

 they ? — I should like to offer a word of criticism of one of the methods 

 followed by many coleopterists in this country in naming their 

 specimens. It does not seem to be by the sound scientific method of 

 original research of comparison with the details of the original 

 description (and the original specimen if in existence), but by the 

 obtaining of a so-called "authenticated type" from some European 

 coleopterist of repute, with which comparison is made and conclusions 

 arrived at. This may be satisfactory up to a point, but to call such a 

 specimen a " type," appears to be as unsound scientifically as it is possible 

 to imagine anything, leads to all sorts of errors, to a continuation of 

 blunders when made, and tends to make our British coleopterists 

 utterly dependent on continental "opinion," rather than "fact," and 

 further it does away with original investigation. There can be no 

 such thing as an " authenticated type " except from the author of the 

 name, and the " types " of any other man are an anachroism. Surely 

 British coleopterists are as capable of dealing with original descriptions 

 and specimens as continental coleopterists. Specimens of a species 

 from any known coleopterist are useful for comparison, and as 

 illustrating the particular collector's view of the species, but have no 

 other value, and, as for their being " authenticated types," the 

 thing is, in ordinary parlance, absurd. I may add that this is merely 

 a personal opinion, written without the knowledge of, or consideration 

 of, the feelings of my editorial colleagues on this subject. It strikes 

 me as so utterly ridiculous that I should write to a continental lepi- 

 dopterist for a specimen of some little known species, and accept it as 

 a " type " of the species, possibly without question, and probably 

 without comparing it with the original description, if I want it for a 

 really scientific purpose. — J. W. Tutt. 



j^ClENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERYATIONS. 



On the swimming powers of the larva of Arctia caia, L. — 

 Having several larvt^ of Arctia caia on hand, and, feeling that as these 

 larvae are often to be found on various low plants at the sides of 

 ditches, some probably at times fall, or are knocked, into the water, 

 L made several experiments with sonae of my larvae, with a view of 

 ascertaining to what degree (if any) the power of swimming was 

 developed in these larva. I first placed several nearly full-grown 

 larvfe into a trough of water, which larvae immediately curled them- 

 selves up (if not already curled up), and floated on the top of the water 

 in this position, seemingly sustained by their hairs. After an interval, 

 varying from about one minute to about a quarter of an hour, the 

 larvae uncurled themselves and attempted to move along the surface of 



