1914.1 195 



COLEOPTERA FEOM SUTHEELAND FLOOD KUBBISH. 



BY NORMAN H. JOY, M.R.C.S., F.E.S. 



In Julj, last year, when travelling across Sutherlandshire from 

 Lairg to Tongue in the mail motor car, I kept a loo!<-out when passing a 

 river for any place where flood rubbish might accumulate. I noticed one 

 such place where the Eiver Tirry bent at a right angle close to a cottage. 

 Fortunately the motor stopped a short distance farther on, and I had 

 the opportunity of asking a man in a cart the name of the occupier 

 and address of the cottage. Shortly after, I wrote to the latter ex- 

 plaining to him in detail how to gather the flood rubbish off the 

 surface of the water when the river was in " full spate," and sending 

 him a bag for it. It was not until May 9th of this year that he was 

 able to obtain any, and it did not arrive here for several days as he 

 was unable to send it off at once. It consisted almost entirely of long 

 grass, with very little heather. The place where it was gathered is 

 about four miles north of Lairg, and is about 400 feet above sea-level. 

 I treated the flood rubbish, which arrived dry enough to sieve, by what 

 is now my routine method. It is first shaken through a large sieve of 

 about f-in. mesh, a watch being kept for the larger Carabidse, etc., in 

 the coarse rubbish thrown away. In this way it is reduced to about 

 one third of its original bulk. This residue is then very carefully 

 examined in small quantities, about half a handful at a time. A sieve 

 of Ta-in. mesh is used, and two large, steep-sided basins. 



As there are so few records of Coleoptera from Sutherland I think 

 it worth while mentioning all the species — 147 in number — found in 

 the sack of rubbish. The majority are quite common and generally 

 distributed species, and indeed there are very few purely northern 

 forms. The most interesting captures are Atheta britteni, Jov, of 

 which about 30 specimens were captured, and XanthnHnus scoticus, 

 Joy, which was quite common. The curious alutaceous surface on the 

 head and thorax is quite distinct in all the specimens of the latter 

 species, but varies to some extent. In two specimens in which it is 

 less distinct, there is a tendency to very fine and diffuse punctuation 

 on the disc of the thorax as in X. ochraceus, so that eventually 

 X. scoticus may prove to be only a northern form of the latter species. 



Notiophilus bigattatus, F. ; N. aquaticus, L. ; N. palustris, Dufts. j Elaphrus 

 cupreus, Dufts. ; Loricera pilicornis, F. ; Clivina fossor, L. ; Dyschirius globosus, 

 BTbst. ; Bradycelhis similis, Dej. ; Harpalus latus, L. ; Pterostichus nigrita, F. ; 

 P. diligens, Stm. ; Amara lunicollis, Schiodte; A. communis, Pz. ; Calathus 

 cisteloides, Pz. ; C. melanocephalus, L. (the type form only) ; Bembidium manner- 



