242 [October, 



attention is drawn to them, and I am surprised I did not notice the fact when 

 putting away these three with the others. — T. Hudson Beare, 10, Regent Terrace, 

 Edinburgh : September 5th, 1902. 



Coleuptera in a Berwickshire Moss. — Thanks to the kindness of my friend Mr. 

 J. E. Black, of Peebles, who conducted me to the spot, I had a day's collecting at 

 Gordon Moss on Saturday, July 5th. This Moss is evidently the remains of a much 

 more extensive one, but it has gradually been reclaimed and brought under culti- 

 vation, and now only a comparatively small remnant remains in its original 

 condition — an attempt to exploit it by a Moss Litter Company having ended in 

 financial failure. 



The Moss contains numerous deop holes, descending far into the peat, and the 

 ground between is mostly covered with dwarf birch and sallows ; one has therefore 

 to exercise great care in working over it to avoid a sudden and abrupt ending to the 

 day's collecting. Though the results of the day's working was not as satisfactory 

 as the peculiar conditions of the spot promised, still I found some interesting 

 insects. 



By beating the shrubs the following were obtained : — Elater halteatus, L., 

 Sericosomus brunneus, L., Cwliodes rubicundus, Pk., Deporaus betu/ce, L., Rhynehites 

 uncinatus, Th., Authonomus romari, Crotch, Halyzia lS-ffidtafa, L., Crepidodera 

 smaragdina, Fond. General sweeping produced Limonius minutus, L., Corymbites 

 tessellatus, L., Luperus fiavipes, L., Hydrothassa marginella, L., Adimonia suturalis, 

 Th., Microcara livida, P., Cyphvn nitidulns, Th., C. coarctatus, l J k., Ceuthorrhyn- 

 chus ericw, Gryll., Ceuthorrhynchidius versicolor, Bris., Gymnetron beccabungce, L., 

 Phytobius i-luberculalus, P., Anthobiuni minutum, P., Hydroporus memnonius, Nic., 

 and Rhinosimus viridipennis, Steph. ; curiously enough though I have never taken 

 this latter insect in its usual habitat this is the second time I have swept it up 

 recently in Scotland. Under the bark of a fallen Scots fir near the edge of the 

 Mobs, Rhizophagus dispar, Pk., Bolitochara ob/iqua, Er., and 1'hUeopora reptans, 

 Gr., were obtained, and a single specimen of Necrophorus mortuorum, P., was 

 knocked down as it flew across the bog. 



Mr. Black, during a visit a few days before, beat Magdalinus carbonarius, L., 

 off a birch tree, and lie has also taken Acilius canaliculatus, Nic, commonly out of 

 one of the peat-holes, accompanied by Dytiscus marginalis, L.,and D. puncfu/atus, 

 P. ; on the occasion of our visit water-nets had not been taken with us, but we 

 could see L). marginalis swimming about in one of the pools. — Id. 



Metcecus paradoxus in a nest of J'espa vulgaris 30 feel from the ground. — The 

 small " anchor-faced " wasp, Vespa vulgaris, is very abundant this season. I had 

 a large nest brought me this week from the roof of a house 30 feet high, and sus- 

 pended under the tiles, a very unusual site. I was surprised to find Metwcus in it. 

 This tends to support the theory advanced by Ur. Chapman that the larva of the 

 parasite is taken into the nest by the wasps with the rotten wood for building. — 

 W. II. Tuck, Tostock : September hth, 1902. 



Antenna/ movements in a decapitated Slug Beetle. — Some time ago the decapi- 

 tated head of a large male stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) was found by one of my 





