112 " [October, 



find (liat its oljtm are not so rugose, being flatter between the strife. I only took a 

 single specimen, but have seen others ; mine has the rostrum yellow before tlie 

 insertion of the antennae, with the tip black ; all the legs are reddish-yellow, with black 

 tarsi), *fC. quadriclens, Cettthorhynchideus troglodytes, *Crepidodera ferruginea, 

 *Phyllotreta atra, *Thyamis lurida,*fexoleta, and *melanocephala,*Cryptocephalus 

 minutus, \l'sylliodes hiridipennis, Kutsch. (on ^^ild cabbage : hitherto known to 

 science only from this locality), *Coce2»eWa W-piunctata, Scymnus limhatus. — FredK. 

 Smith, 27, Richmond Crescent, Islington : September, 187'4. 



Notes on beetles occurring in the Shetland Isles. — During a recent stay in Shet- 

 land, I met with sevei-al very interesting varieties of well-known species. The most 

 remarkable was what appears to be a race of Hydroporus gi'iseostriatus, smaller, 

 flatter, and broader than the ordinary form, with the front of the thorax entirely 

 pale. This insect occurred not uncommonly in one lake, from which it was difficult 

 to obtain two specimens precisely identical. The markings of some few specimens 

 were (with the exception noted above) identical with those of type griseostriatus, 

 while in others the elytra were of a pale straw colour, with extremely faint indica- 

 tions of a few darker lines. Between the two all gradations occurred. In another 

 lake, not very many miles distant, at a greater elevation, and farther north, tho 

 ordinary form of griseostriatus was in profusion, without any symptom of variation. 

 No special reference to variation in this species is to be found in the ordinary 

 European text-books, except the mention of the elytral lines being more or less 

 widened ; but I observe that the late Mr. Or. R. Crotch in his " Revision of the 

 Dytiseidoe of the United States " (Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, iv, p. 393) says " the varia- 

 " tions in colour in this species have caused it to be described under various names ;" 

 and his localities, Canada, Lake Superior, California, give a further extension to its 

 range of distribution, already reaching to Lapland and Unalaska. As there are 

 already four synonymical names to H. griseostriatus, I do not venture to propose a 

 new one for this Shetland form, however well marked, more particularly as I have 

 the opinion of M. A. Preudhomme de Borre, of Brussels (who is a high authority 

 on ITydroporus, and has kindly examined my specimens), that it is not specifically 

 distinct from griseostriatus. I also met with Hydroporus tristis and angustatus, 

 both conspicuously larger than the ordinary form, — the former evidently more, the 

 latter evidently less, strongly punctured than usual. My assignment of these to the 

 species mentioned has also been confirmed by I\I. do Borre. 



Calathus mollis occui'rcd of a unifornaly dark fuscous colour (almost the same 

 shade as nubigena). A very peculiar form of Agabus guttatus was strikingly nar- 

 rower and flatter than the type, with the elytra much duller, and A. maeulafus was 

 in every stage up to almost entirely black. Arpedium brachypterwm was smaller 

 than usual and quite black, while a form of Chrysomela staphylcea occurred of 

 a very short rotundate outline, much duller than usual, and, in some specimens, 

 with the thorax less closely punctured. Tlie occurrence on ground little, if at 

 all, raised above the sea level, of such species as Nebria GyllenhaUi, Pteros- 

 tichus orinomus, &c., is, I suppose, to be accounted for by the higli latitude of 

 Shetland. I was somewhat surprised to find the Isle of Wight Trechus lapidostis 

 here. Pelophila borealis occurred in some numbers ; and Chrysomela sanguinolenta 

 was found under stones, unlike the southern C. distinguenda, which may generally 

 be found on Antirrhinum. — Tnos. Blackbtjrx, Grreenhithe : September, 1874. 



