1866. i 205 



Occurrence of a species of Omalium new to Britain. 



Omalium septentrionis, Thorns., Shand. Col. iii., 211, 2. 

 I have recently found a single example of this insect, among some captures 

 made by myself in the Isle of Arran in August, 1864. Of the recorded British 

 species it bears most resemblane to 0. rivulare; from which it is readily dis- 

 tinguished by being much more strongly and closely punctured, and less shining, 

 with its elytra narrower in proportion to the thorax, — the sides of which are less 

 rounded, — and by the five basal joints of its antennse being red. Its much stronger 

 punctuation, independently of other characters, distinguishes it at a glance from 

 0. rvpariwn, which it somewhat resembles in build. — W. Hendeuson, 34, Hill Street, 

 Glasgow, Janucm/, 1866. 



Apion ononidis, Gyllenhal. — I see that Mr. Eye, in his admirable paper in the 

 Annual, has sunk this name in favour of A. Bohemanni, Boh. This is an alteration 

 that cannot be maintained, as Gyllenhal's name has tho pi'iority by twelve years. 

 Thomson, — who, in his recently published volume, has originated this change, — gives 

 no express reason for it ; but remarks in a note, after his description of the species, 

 " I have seen types of this as well as of most of Schonherr^ a Apions, and am on this 

 account much indebted to Prof. Boheman." If this be his reason for adopting the 

 more recent name, it is certainly a strange and insufficient one. M. Wencker, in 

 his lately completed monograph of the European Apions, has incorrectly considered 

 A. Bohemanni as a synonym of paripe.?. Also, according to recent authors, Apion 

 Oermari, Walt., equals semivittatum, Gyll., the latter name being the older. — D. 

 Sharp, 12, St. Vincent Street, Edinburgh. 



[I presume, from Thomson inserting the word mas. after his reference to 

 Boheman's insect (of the identity of which he is satisfied, from his inspection of the 

 Schonherrian types), that he has been induced to sink the name originally given to 

 it by Gyllenhal, on account of the latter not having noticed the male character, 

 which is of considerable importance. 



He may, also, have felt less scruple in suggesting this alteration, from the fact 

 of there being another Apion, — described by Kirby prior to Gyllenhal, — tho name 

 of which, " ononis," is so exceedingly close to the ononidis of the latter (both, moreover, 

 being intended for the genitive of the same word) that the suppression of the later 

 in date is advisable, to avoid confusion. — E. C. E.] 



Hot Weather and New Beetles. — I may perhaps be allowed to make a few 

 remai'ks on the theory that the large number of species of Coleoptera added to our 

 lists during the year 1865 is due in a great measure " to the long continued and 

 excessive heat of the past Bummer." This supposition is quite unsupported by the 

 facts ; for, of the 56 new species enumerated in Mr. Rye's exhaustive list, it would 

 appear from the records that only 17 were taken at all in 1865 ; the other 39 having 

 been captured in previous years, though not introduced into our lists till last year ; 

 moreover, of the 17 new species of which specimens were actually taken in 1865, 

 10 had been found also in preceding years, leaving only seven species as the actual 

 number taken for the first time in the hot year of 1865 ; and, as regards the heat 

 having anything to do with their capture, even this number must bo further reduced ; 



