100 



[May, 



Altogether, this is not the type of ground on which one would 

 expect to find Bianous, and Avhen casual single specimens of 

 B. andrewesi and two other species of the genus were picked up, I 

 at once suspected that these must be stray examples drifted or washed 

 down from higher altitudes, and made a note to search for them there, 

 should opportunity offer. 



The chance came in the beginning of May 1917, when I had occasion 

 to examine in detail the forests at the head of the Kosi in Bhatkot. 

 Chir (Finns longifolia) forest gives way to oak (Qiiercus incana) at 

 about 6000 feet, and the terrain for the next 1000 feet is very pre- 

 cipitous, affording an effective barrier to the ubiquitous cattle, and when 

 one comes across comparatively gentle slopes, at about 7000 feet, to the 

 top of the ridge, densely clothed with oak (here mostly Q. dilatata, not 

 unlike Q. ilex) and silver fir, and with clear streams tumbling over moss- 

 covered boulders, a splendid collecting-ground is reached. The first day 

 I had in the forest here abundantly proved the correctness of my earlier 

 deduction — Bianous literally swarmed on the spray-sjorinkled boulders, 

 so that it is no exaggeration to say that there must have been four or 

 five specimens to every square foot of exposed rock. As usual, it was 

 impossible for me to stay long on the spot, but in a short time I 

 completely filled a small spirit-tube, and although several forms were 

 noticed, I was surprised to find seven species represented, as proved to 

 be the case when the material was examined some days later. It was a 

 matter for regret that I was unable to examine the tube earlier, since at 

 least 95 per cent, of the examples captured belonged to two species — the 

 cupreous B. andreivesi and the shining black B. radiatus — the remainder, 

 which were mostly larger than the foregoing, and of about the size 

 of the British B. coerulescens, being represented by only one or two 

 examples each. 



Throughout the following twelve months specimens came to hand 

 singly or a few at a time in places at about 6000 feet, similar to but less 

 suitable than the locality above described, others in fiood debris wedged 

 in between rocks in mid-stream, others on fioating logs, and so on. As 

 still further species were included, I made every effort to search again, 

 but pressure of official duties did not allow of this, and the best I could 

 do was to send my collector (a new man, the first having left me after a 

 year, as he was tired of being chaffed about such pursuits) to the original 

 locality, trusting that he would be able to find it and to recognise what I 

 wanted him to obtain. Fortunately, he was very successful and brought 

 back upwards of 200 Bianous, including perhaps a dozen species. Two 

 representatives only of the allied genus Stenus were brought with them. 



