56 [March, 



as certain other changes in the British list which, for one reason or 

 another, appear to me desirable. 



Batracomorpiius, Lewis. 

 R. II. Lewis (Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud., 1830, p. 51) made this 

 genus for the insect we now call microcepfiala, H.-S. ; and since 

 lanio, L., and its allies are clearly congeneric with the former, the 

 prevailing use of the generic name Macropsis, Lewis, is improper. 



Macropsis, Lewis, and Oncopsis, Burm. 

 The genus Macropsis was, in its inception, a composite one 

 comprising two sections, the first exemplified by virescens, Fab., and 

 the second by flavicollis, L. ; Lewis' name should be restricted to the 

 first section and used in the place of Pediopsis, Burmeister. The 

 latter author having already given the name Oncopsis to the second 

 section of Macropsis, Lewis, this name should stand for flavicollis, L., 

 and its allies instead of Fieber's restriction of Bj/tlioscopus, Germ. 



Macropsis scutellatus, Boh., and its allies. 

 I am now convinced that we have in this country three species 

 which may be distinguished as follows: — 



1 (4) Inner side of hind tibiae pale throughout. 



2 (3) Species living on sallows scutellatus, Boh. 



3 (2) Species living on brambles rub/, Boh. 



4 (1) Inner side of hind tibiae with two short black streaks, one near the base and 



the other just before the apex. Species living on net ties... tibialis, Scott. 



As J. Sahlberg's description of rubi, Boh., contains nothing 

 inconsistent with the characters of our bramble-feeding species, I adopt 

 that name for it. By careful observation in the field I have satisfied 

 myself that although tibialis and rubi may often be taken at the same 

 time by beating or sweeping near mixed hedgerows, they really live 

 exclusively on nettles and brambles respectively. Scott's description 

 of tibialis applies so obviously and exclusively to our nettle-feeding 

 species that one can only conclude that the occurrence of his 

 specimens "on poplars" was accidental. I cannot of my own 

 knowledge now give any morphological characters for the separation 

 of scutellatus and rubi, but having regard to the diversity of their 

 food-plants, the presumption is that they are biologically distinct 

 species. Thomson (Op. But., iii, p. 320) gives the following contrasting 

 characters for each : — 



scutellatus. rubi. 



Facie planiuscula, speculo parvo. Facie eonvexiuscula, speculo distincto. 



Elytris nervis clavi striato-punctatis. Elytris nervis interioribus fere lasvibus. 



Tibiis posticis plerumque 10-spinosis. Tibiis posticus 9-spinosis. 



