19H-] 63 



trawlers in Hull, which had been thrown on a piece of waste ground. In each 

 case the antenna? were shaped like those of the Sermyla. Despite careful search 

 no other examples have so far been met with in other species taken by me. It 

 doubtless occurs, but it is interesting to note that all the beetles exhibiting it 

 so far have been forms which have had a habitat either saline or brackish (the 

 Miscodera occurs within two hundred yards of the salt water.) Whether this 

 is in any way responsible, my data are as yet insufficient to show. — 

 Geo. B. Walsh, 166, Bede Burn Road, J arrow-on- Tyne : February, 1914. 



Some interesting captures of Coleoptera during 1913. -The following captures 

 are perhaps worthy of note : — Acrulia injiata occurred under bark on several 

 occasions in Chopwell Woods, Co. Durham, and Triplax senea was abundant in 

 Ravensworth Woods under bark of holly and dead poplar, and in fungus on holly 

 at Cotherston in Teesdale. Cotherston also yielded Antherophagus pallens (1) and 

 Dascillus cervinus (common), while on the slopes of Mickle Fell there occurred 

 one specimen of Hydroporus ferrugineus and many Calathus melanocephalus, var. 

 nubigena. All the Teesdale captures were made in June. In July a visit to 

 Middlesbrough yielded ten specimens of Blcdius gulielmi, Sharp (defensus, Fauv.), 

 in the locality whex-e it was first taken by my friend, Mr. W. E. Sharp. In 

 August, a visit to the Tees-side slag-heaps — a well-known collecting ground to 

 Middlesbrough naturalists — gave enormous numbers of Haliplus striatus* in a 

 brackish pool where it occurred in company with Agabus conspersus and 

 Ochthebius marinus (Philydrus maritimus used to occur here also, but a lengthy 

 search failed to reveal it). Night-searching at the foot of the sandhills at 

 Saltburn yielded a fair number of Nebria livida and one Silpha atrata, var. 

 brunneaf ; probably the local record for Silpha subrotundata should be referred 

 to this variety, and not to the " Celtic " species. In September a very interest- 

 ing week-end was spent with my friend Dr. Fordham at Bubwith in search of 

 Dytiscus circumcinctus. The dry weather had caused most of the pools in the 

 neighbourhood and on Skip with Common to dry up, and those that remained 

 contained, as it were, a concentrated essence of water beetles. Agabus bipustu- 

 latus and Colymbetesfuscus were present in myriads, and were a perfect nuisance ; 

 a dwarf form of the latter was taken, however, which was only 13 mm. 

 long. Amongst swarms of Hydropori, the most interesting species were 

 H. umbrosus, H. tristis, and H. nigrita. In addition a dozen specimens of Phil- 

 ydrus minutus occurred, this being generally a very rare Yorkshire insect. The 

 desired Dytiscus, too, turned up in some numbers, about twenty specimens fall- 

 ing to the pair of us, while it was several times present in the net with the two 

 common species, D. marginalis and D. punctulatus. Sweeping on Skipwith 

 Common yielded Coccinella hieroglyphica in abundance, both type form and the 

 black variety, together with one specimen of Lina populi. On carrion there 

 occurred Necrobia violaceaf and rufipes* and Dermestes murinus, the two Necrobise 

 again occurring later on a dead porpoise at Spurn Point and on rotten fish 

 sweepings on the Fish Dock in Hull. A visit to Spurn on September 6th 

 proved almost fruitless. The dry season had killed off most of the vegetation on 



* New County records. t New Hiding records. 



