1902.] 181 



Osphya bipunctata, Fabr., in East Gloucestershire. — On the 31st May and two 

 following days T obtained here several examples of this speeies ; of these twenty-four 

 percent, were large males, that is, males with enormously thickened hind femora, 

 sixty-six per cent were small males with the hind legs normal, and ten per cent. 

 were females. The large males bore a very close resemblance, both in gait and 

 appearance, to Telephorus pellucidus, which occurred with them very commonly. I 

 did not recognise in the field the first small male that I got, but bottled it under 

 the impression that it was an unusually bulky example of Orammoptera rujicornis ; 

 which latter, however, occurred then but rarely. The males were confined to two 

 non-contiguous whitethorn hushes, whilst one female came off holly, and the 

 other from oak ; the whitethorn was not actually in bloom until a week later. I 

 had no reason to believe that these insects clung to their shelter-plant with any 

 especial tenacity, as stated by Curtis and later writers ; the former was evidently 

 much impressed by the peculiar development of the hind legs in the large males, 

 and he appears to have considered that the alleged tenacity was to be accounted for 

 by their abnormal structure ; my own observations, however, did not furnish any- 

 thing tending to confirm this view. When the knee of the hind leg in these large 

 males is flexed, and the inner edge of the hind tibia brought close to the femur, the 

 spine-like process at the apex of the tibia fits into a cavity in the trochanter and 

 locks the limb in that position, which is one distinctly favourable to the gripping of 

 some object of very small size, but scarcely for holding " very fast to a leaf or 

 branch," as suggested by Curtis. A similar structure is found in the males of 

 (Edemera nobi/ix and Oncomera femorata, and its function, which is doubtless the 

 same in all three species, would appear to be connected with sexual intercourse. I 

 am inclined to this view by the fact that I have not found any of the species 

 mentioned abnormally difficult to dislodge, and moreover, in Elmis and its allies, 

 where the faculty of clinging is obviously intensified, that end is obtained by the 

 greater development of the claw-joint of the tarsus. The males of Osphya are well- 

 known to vary much in size ; my smallest example is but 5 mm. long, whilst my 

 largest has a length of 14 mm., and is stoutly built in propoi'tion. — J. Edwards, 

 Colesborne, Cheltenham : YJth June, 1902. 



On the pairing of Homalota liturata, Steph. — Amongst an immense number 

 of small beetles which T shook from a living Polyporus in a wood hereon June 24th 

 last year, was something that attracted my attention by reason that it was twice as 

 large as the others, and had a large extent of upturned abdomen. On close 

 examination in a glass-covered box this proved to be two small Staphs with the 

 extremities of their abdomina in contact, and both moving very rapidly forward in 

 the same vertical plane, but neither of them wholly superimposed. The hinder one 

 had the front part of its head closely applied to the base of the hind legs of the one 

 in front and its abdomen curved over its back to the fullest extent to meet the tip 

 of the abdomen of the other. The venter of the abdomen of the front one was in 

 contact with the upper surface of the hinder one as far as the apex of the elytra of 

 the latter. The movements of the conjoined insects were so rapid that I could not 

 determine the relative position of the sexes, nor whether their position was main- 

 tained by reason of the operation of the hind legs of the front one or the jaws of 

 the hinder one, or both of those means. — Id. 



