302 THE entomologist's record, 



had been sprinkled. This habit was not shown by any others of the 

 many larvae of the same species contained in the same cage. — F. B. 

 Newnham, Church Stretton, Salop. 



Use of Ammonia, — The editorial note {ante, p, 233) seems to 

 suggest that I do not know the proper way to use ammonia. Perhaps 

 I do not ; but it seems to me that ammonia is always ammonia, and 

 will have the same effect however applied. However, the way I use 

 it is very convenient, and might be worth imparting to the general 

 public. I get a shallow tin box, half full of sand, and set in it a wide 

 bottle with the bottom cut off. Upon the sand I pour a sufficient 

 quantity of .880 ammonia, and then use the apparatus like a cyanide 

 bottle, throwing the insects into it out of the pillboxes, in which I have 

 carried them home. There is no need of a stopper, the moths are 

 dead as soon as they get in. When they are all in, I take away the 

 bottle, put the lid on the tin box, and put it aside till next morning, 

 when the moths are in fine order for setting. I find sand the best 

 medium for carrying the ammonia, with sponge or blotting paper, the 

 ammonia is apt to come into contact with the wings. — G. A, Harker, 

 100, Huskisson St., Liverpool. October 2(^th, 1892. [We take it that 

 by the method mentioned by our friend Mr. Harker, the insects come 

 in contact with the sand containing the ammonia. If so, it explains 

 everything, for there is the greatest possible difference between throwing 

 the insects on sand containing ammonia, and subjecting them to the 

 fumes of ammonia. We throw chip boxes, with the living moths in 

 them, into a close-fitting tin. Our moths, therefore, are killed by the 

 fumes which pass through the chip boxes. — Ed.] 



Coleoptera captured round London in the Autumn of 1892. — 

 On August I St, it being a fine day, I went to my old locality at Bexley, 

 to see what Coleoptera were to be had there. I left home early in the 

 morning and walked the whole way, as I wanted to try Kidbrooke Lane 

 first, in order to obtain some insects for the London list. This part of 

 the excursion, however, was not very successful, as the only insects that 

 were taken were four Lathridius angusticollis and single specimens of 

 Micropeplus porcatus, Brachypierus gravidus and Gym?ietron noctis. I 

 then went on past Bexley, and by some means or other succeeded in 

 losing my way and got round to some woods at the back of the station, 

 where I took a series of Brachyptems gravidus and Gymnetron noctis 

 from the toad-flax, and although not a bug collector myself, it may 

 interest that part of the entomological fraternity to know that Gargara 

 genistce was common on the broom. I now discovered my mistake and 

 started afresh on the right track, and began sweeping vigorously and 

 insects soon began to pour in, especially the Apions, of which I succeeded 

 in taking seventeen species, the best being vicice, tenue, Jlavifnatmm, 

 pallipes, punctigerum and hydrolapathi ; by sweeping at the sides of the 

 ash woods two Colenis dcniipes and two Colon rufescens turned up, the 

 former when going, and the latter when coming back. I went as far as 

 the chalk pits, where insects were not so plentiful, but I took Microglossa 

 nidicola, Homalota dildticornis, Tachyporus sohitus and three Ceu- 

 thorrhynchus troglodytes var. chevrolati. 



On Septe nber 17th I went to Southgate to try the locality, which was 

 new to me. At Southgate I only took Homaliiim stridtjim and Apion 

 critentatum, and as the place did not look very promising I walked on to 



