74 [April, 



such), or arc protected against their attacks, hardly an insect was to 

 be found in the woods, and I particularly noticed the complete absence 

 of the early spring bees, tbe sallows being absolutely deserted on all 

 occasions. 



Amongst the ants and ants' nest beetles Mr. Donisthorpe and 

 myself on one occasion were most successful in finding Homceusa 

 acuminata, Mart. I took two specimens of this beetle in the spring 

 of 1894, near Dodington, in cart ruts full of water. Tbis spring, on 

 May 12th, another example turned up in tbe same cart ruts, and 

 search on a bank close by in nests of Lasins niqer and formica fusca, 

 in which I have searched in vain at intervals since 1S94, produced six 

 more individuals curled up in tbe nests. Tbe beetles were lying under 

 stones which covered part of tbe nests, and I think had we been but 

 little later we should have found they bad flown away. Later in the 

 day, when we returned to the spot, the bank was dried up, and beetles 

 and ants had disappeared, and I have seen no signs of ants' nest 

 beetles there since. Mr. Donisthorpe also captured one specimen of 

 Ponera contracta, Latr., of which T bad previously an unnoticed ex- 

 ample from Dodington, and one of Myrmecina Latreillei, Curt., a species 

 I bad taken there before, and I have since found Tetramorium ccespitum, 

 Linn., at no distance from the same place. Clav/ger foveolatus, Mull., 

 occurred in some numbers in a F.flava nest, as well as on another 

 bank half a mile off, near Wychling, the last mentioned locality also 

 producing Atemelcs evnarginatus, Pk., in a nest of Myrmica rufa. 

 These two banks are the only localities in the district which I know 

 for beetles living in the nests of the ground ants. 



Passing from ants to beetles. Ccenocara bovista*, Hoff., last seen 

 in 1894, has again turned up, one specimen having been swept by me 

 near Greet on May 28th, and on the evening of June 9th I captured 

 a dozen more in a hayfield close by Huntingfield ; they were confined 

 to a very few yards. What I believe to be Mordella aculeata, L., was 

 found on the same day sitting on the white cloth of the luncheon table, 

 probably brought in with guelder-rose flowers. The allied species, Jf. 

 fasciata, F., occurred commonly in August, 1900, on Umbellifers, about 

 a bop field (does the larvae feed on the poles?), and this year was noticed 

 from early in June to the beginning of September. Cryptocephalus 

 6-punotatus, L. (one on Juno 1st, close to a nest of F. rufa), C. 

 aureolus, Suff. (one on June 9th), and C. bilineatus, L. (one on July 

 21st, on a bank), were taken, and are the only specimens of these in- 

 sects ever found by me here. A single specimen of Homalo/a elegantula, 

 Bris., was swept on May 18th out of grass, at the point where a path 



