66 [August, 



and feeds on the inside, and even the full-grown one is entirely hid in the interior, 

 though its presence is readily detected by a neat circular hole in the side of the 

 berry, and tlxrough which the fraes is extruded. Some of the larvae came outside to 

 pupate, but I am not sure that all did. The first moth emerged the 27th of Juno 

 last. — Geo. T. Porbitt, Highroyd House, Huddersfield : Jidy 10th, 1879. 



Occurrence of Lita solanella, Bsd., in Australia. — The discovery of this species, 

 hitherto, so far as known to me, only found in Algeria, is equally interesting and 

 alarming. I have never seen Algerian specimens, but from the general habits and 

 characters, do not doubt the identity of the Australian form with the African. 

 Although I first found the imago, I did not identify it u)itil my attention was called 

 to the destruction caused by the larva, which swarmed in some potato-fields. It 

 feeds in the substance of the potato-tuber, often fifty together ; corruption rapidly 

 sets in, and the tuber is rendered worthless. It does not appear that much attention 

 was attracted by the insect here, initil I published its history, the ravages on the 

 crop being attributed to disease. As far as my observations extend, it occurs 

 generally throughout Victoria and New South Wales ; the imago is often seen at 

 light in towns. The dry climate probably suits its subterranean habits to admiration, 

 and in at least one authenticated case I knew tliat four-fifths of the crop of a field 

 were destroyed. 



It would be interesting to investigate the source whence this species has so 

 lately appeared. Probably the fact that its nearest ally seems to be the Spanish 

 L. epithymeUa, Stgr., indicates Algeria as its birth-place; in which case it must have 

 fed naturally on some other species of Solanum, and attached itself to the potato 

 on its introduction. No Australian insect known to me belongs at all to its 

 immediate group, and it has decidedly a European facies. It is rather remarkable 

 that it should not have yet made itself known in Europe itself, as it has a better 

 base of operations than the Colorado beetle ; from its range here, the restricting 

 cause cannot be temperature, but may possibly depend on the rainfall. — E. Meyeice, 

 243, Macquarie Street, Sydney, N. S. W. : May I2th, 1879. 



Hote on the Insect-fauna of Guatemala. — [The following extracts fi'om a letter 

 just received from Mr. Gr. C Champion, may interest our readers. — E. C. R.] 



" I arrived in this country in due course, and, after being detained a month in 

 the capital, at last got away into the country, and am now stopping on a large sugar 

 estate at the foot or on the slojje of the Volcano Fuego (4,100 ft. elev.), in the house of 

 Senor Don Juan Rodriguez, an old Coleopterist, about 40 miles from the city. I have 

 collected a good deal in the adjoining forest and elsewhere, but whether owing from 

 the elevation or the dry season, I am rather disappointed with the fauna. I can 

 hardly realize yet that I am collecting in the tropics, finding as I do, Harpalus, 

 Aciipalpus, Metabletus, Anchomenus, Bemhidium, Philhydrus, Limnehius, Ochthebius, 

 Anaccena, Chcetarthria, Cercyon, Cryptopleuriim, Hydroporus, Qyrimis, Laccophilus, 

 Falagria,Aleocha/>'a,Tachyusa,Mycetoporus, Q,uedius,Philonthus,Sunius,Lithocharis, 

 Pcederus, Stenus, Momalium, Homalota, Oxypoda, Oxytelus, Lathrohium, Conurus, 

 Hypocyptus, Qyrophcena, OUgota, Xantholimis, Bryaxis, Euplectus, Trichopteryx, 

 Ptenidimn, Mhizophagus, Olibrus, Scaphisoma, Scaphidium, Litargus, Typhcea, 

 Mycetophagus, Cryptophagus, Atomaria, Epistemus (for a wonder, no Meligethes as 

 yet), Anaspis, Apion, Tychius, Thyamis, Scymnus, &c., &c. Some of these genera 



