21 



New British Oxytelus. Oxytelus speculifrons, Kraatz, Ins. Deutschl. ii., 862 (note) . 



In April, 1862, I captured, on the Thames Bank, near Hammersmith, a female 

 example of a small Oxytelus, which accorded with the description of the insect 

 above named, and I am now enabled to bring it forward with some certainty as that 

 species, Mr. G. R. Crotch having kindly lent me foreign types of 0. speculifrons from 

 the collection of M. Aube, with which also my specimen agrees. 



It is about the size of 0. depressus, Grav., and of similar appeai-ance in build, 

 but differs from that species as follows : — the basal joints of the antennae are stouter; 

 the head is not so dull, and has two polished elevations at the base of the antennas, 

 the space between which, including the clypeus, is more or less polished ; there is 

 also a small longitudinal fovea at the base of the vertex. The thorax is not quite 

 so deep, with a more decided dorsal channel, the elevated lines on each side of 

 which are bright, as also are the outer parallel lines, and the depressions on the sides 

 are more conspicuous. The elytra are lighter in colour, and not so dull, being very 

 delicately and closely strigose longitudinally, in fact, almost alutaceous, with a few 

 scattered and faint punctures ; they are, moreover, pitchy-brown, with the sutural 

 space somewhat broadly rufo-testaceous and shining. The abdomen is shining black, 

 finely alutaceous. The legs are entirely pale testaceous. 



From 0. nitidulus, Grav., which it resembles considerably in colour, it differs in 

 being smaller, with the head and thorax duller and longitudinally strigose, instead 

 of coarsely punctured ; the punctuations on the elytra, moreover, in 0. nitidulus are 

 only sub-strigose. 



The male seems to be rather brighter than the female, with the antennte, and 

 especially the apical joint, stouter ; the sixth abdominal segment also beneath is 

 produced in the middle of the hinder margin into a slight triangular point, behind 

 which is a semi-circular ridge, the two points whereof, nearest the apical margin, 

 are slightly reflexed.— E. C. Rye, 284, King's Road, Chelsea, S.W. 



Note on Water-fall Insects. — When driving through the Via Gellia, near Mat- 

 lock, a few days since, I saw a water rill that reminded me much of those in North 

 Wales, where I last year took Stenus Ouynemeri and Quedius auricomus. 1 imme- 

 diately set to work and found these two insects. — W. Garnets, Repton, near Burton- 

 on-Trent. 



Orgyia Oonostigma. — Some larvae of this species, which were sent to me at the 

 end of last September, ate very little after that date, and before long fixed them- 

 selves in the position they meant to keep through the winter. Long after other 

 hybemating species had begun to feed again they remained quite motionless, until I 

 half feared that what I was watching was only their empty fur ; however, on May 

 5th, I perceived that one of them had moved an inch or two from his winter quarters, 

 and taking this as a hint that their appetite was returning, I ventured to move them 

 all off to a little oak, and soon had the pleasure of seeing they had not forgotten how 

 to use their jaws during their six months' fast. — Rev. J. Hellins, Exeter. — May 9th. 



Notodonta Chaonia. — A young collector of this town took a very fair specimen 

 of this moth as it was flying round a gas-lamp on the evening of April 25th. — Id. 



