208 [Fcbru.iry, 



and it is readily separated from communis by having the marginal row of large 

 punctures on the elytra continuous, whereas, in communis, these large punctures are 

 very perceptibly interrupted about a third of the length below the shoulder. This 

 continuous row of punctures is also found in hmicollis. — E. C. Eye, Parkfield, 

 Putney, S.W. : December, 1874. 



Late appearance of Cetonia aurata. — At p. 178, Tol. x, of the " Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine," Mr. Scott records the appearance of Ceio>iia aurata on the 15th 

 October. I have now to chronicle an even later date for that species, as I found a 

 specimen of it at ivy-bloom, in the day-time, on the 29th October last year, in a 

 garden at West Wickham. This specimen was unusually small, but otherwise in an 

 excellent condition ; and seemed to have but just entered into the imago state. — 

 W. A. FoEBES, 35, S. Castle Street, Edinburgh : Jamiary, 1875. 



[These exceptional appearances are no doubt due to the fact that the Cetonia (like 

 Lucanus cervus, and some other beetles) assumes the perfect state late in the autumn, 

 but remains, ordinarily, in the cocoon till the following summer. Hence these ab- 

 normal autiunnal specimens should rather bo regarded as " early," not " late ;" their 

 appearance being perhaps due to sudden rise of temperature combined with individual 

 precocity. — Eds.] 



JElia acuminata. — As this species is recorded in Douglas and Scott's " British 

 Hemiptera-Heteroptera " only from the London district, it may be of interest if I 

 state that I found it in abundance by sweeping in a clover-field near Winchester, at 

 the latter end of May, some years ago." — Id. 



Comparative descriptions of the larvre, c^c, of Xylophasia lithoxylea and poly- 

 odon. — From the great similarity that exists between the larvae of these two species, 

 Duponchel, who had bred both insects from larva; in which ho thought he could see 

 no difference, was induced to consider them to be but varieties of one species ; and 

 I confess that for a long time after certain experiments made by myself, which seemed 

 to end in a similar way, I felt strongly inclined to take the same view ; and nothing 

 but the firm and continued assm-ances to the contrary of my friend Mr. Doubleday 

 encouraged me to persevere, in the hope of eventually distinguishing the one larva 

 from the other. 



Foiled year after year in my attempts to obtain eggs from the moths imprisoned 

 for that purpose, and failing also to obtain them from friends who could naturally 

 perhaps feel but little interest in these insects of such common occurrence, — I had to 

 content myself with tliose single examples of the larva) that by chance occurred to 

 myself, or were found and forwarded to me by friends at distant intervals of time, 

 so that my investigation has unavoidably been of a somewhat desultory nature, and 

 in addition has often been retarded, just when success seemed almost assured, by the 

 vexatious circumstance of the disclosure of ichneumons in the place of moths ; tliis 

 last circumstance also gave rise in my mind to doubts as to whether certain appear- 

 ances, which I had figured and noted, might not have been duo entirely to the 

 presence of parasites witliin the larva, and I felt compelled to wait on for further 

 observation of health v larvte. « 



