308 the entomologist's record. 



grey colour, which is the prevailing form in the west and south of 

 England, with the exception of the neighbourhood of London, where 

 a dark grey form is found, as shown in the series from Epping Forest. 

 The Delamere Forest insects ranged from a rather light colour to a 

 melanic form, with intermediates, showing a complete gradation from 

 one form to the other. The lighter insects were bred very sparingly 

 from collected larvae, from 10 to 11 per cent, of melanic forms agree- 

 ing more or less closely with the form robsoni, Collins, being obtained, 

 the remainder, about 90 per cent., disclosing the dark grey form, Mr. 

 A. Harrison and Mr. Hugh Main. Rare Coleoptera : Two males of 

 Cryptocephalus bipunctatus, taken at Niton in the Isle of Wight, in 

 July, 1907, while sweeping the grass on the slopes of the Undercliff. 

 The specimens were two forms or varieties which were understood to 

 be well-known on the continent, although neither had ever been found 

 in Britain before. No other example was observed, although the spot 

 was well worked. The locality seemed to be a strange one for this 

 beetle, as there were no hazel or birch trees in the neighbourhood, 

 Mr. Mitford. Mr. Mitford also showed Paracymus aeneus, Germ., 

 which he had obtained from Mr. Harwood of Colchester, who had 

 believed these specimens to be P. nigroaeneus. The examples shown 

 were captured on the North Essex coast in June, 1898, and there 

 could be no doubt that P. aeneus must be regarded as a British beetle, 

 although Canon Fowler states, in his British Coleoptera, that we do 

 not possess the true P. aeneus. He also exhibited a specimen of the 

 very rare Lathrobium rufipenne, taken by him at Niton, Isle of Wight, 

 in July, 1906, a specimen of the rare Ceuthorhyncus viduatus, taken 

 by him at Brading, Isle of Wight, in July, 1907, and a specimen of 

 ('is dentatus, taken by him at Sandown, Isle of Wight, in July, 1906, 

 and observed that this species, although well-known on the continent, 

 had never before been recorded in Britain. 



JJ^HE HAUNT OF PERONEA CRISTANA. 



Dedicated to J. A. CLARK, F.E.S. 



Where thick-set stand the eldest Hawthorn trees, 

 Gray with gnarled lichen ; and one scarcely sees, 

 So dark-entangled are their wasted boughs, 

 The healthful sunbeams enter to arouse 

 The psyched gnats to gambol, or to enlighten 

 The mesh of silvery webs, that else might brighten 

 This obscure haunt with glistening tapestry : — 

 In such a gloom dwells she, our Beauty shy ! 



Ah ! hast thou tracked her to the lone recess, 

 Wherein she wills to enshroud her loveliness 

 Even from her kindred, not mere mortal eyes? 



The mellowing August sun reposeful lies 



On the outstretched plain, and warms to deeper green 



The long grnss round the thickets, that between 



Straight hoary oak-boles guard on either side 



An emerald glade. Here, surely here, must ride 



Oberon with Titania, their gay court aglee 



At note of the hunter's horn : full many a bee 



Here heavy with sweetness weighs the bramble down ; 



