18 [January, 



A side-light on Kirhy and Spencc's "Introduction to Ey^tomology." — The 

 following- extract from a letter i^rovcd liy internal evidence to have been written 

 early in 1845 — probably from London — will no doubt interest many readers of 

 this Magazine. 



"My dear Mrs. Wood, — A succession of very pressing engagements must 

 be my apology for not having been able before to-day to give directions to 

 Longmans to send you a copy of oixr book, which you will probably have 

 to-morrow or next day, and which pray oblige me by honouring with a niche in 

 your library, and I shall be very glad if it afford you any amusement. As it 

 may serve to this end before insects appear if you make use of it as a sort of 

 riddle-me-ree and guess at our different shares, I will give you a clvie by telling 

 you tliat the Preface (which as I originally suggested the work itself and its 

 popular plan, my excellent friend and partner wished me to write) is mine, 

 except two paragraphs with reference to religion at pages ix and x inserted by 

 Mr. K., and that letters xi — xv (both inclusive) of vol. I, and letters xxv to xxvii 

 (also both inclusive) of vol. 2 are also mine, as well as nearly all the long notes 

 to this last Edition ; while, on the other hand, the two introductory letters i and 

 ii (except from page 21 — 46 of the last by me) and letters xvi — xxiii (both 

 inclusive) are by Mr. Kirby. I leave you to guess as to the rest from this sample 

 if you think it worth while * * *. Believe me, my dear Sara, in haste, 

 yours very truly, W. Spence. 3Iarch 3rd." 



Mrs. Wood was a niece by marriage of Mr. William Spence, one of the joint 

 authors of the classic "Introduction to Entomology." The aged Mr. Kirby 

 entrusted his colleague with the task of editing the sixth edition of Vols. I and 

 II, which appeared early in 1843. — G. B. Longstaff, Highlands, Putney Heath, 

 London, S.W. : Decemher loth, 1914. 



A food-plant of Orthochaetes insigiiis ^til/c'.— In his paper introducing this 

 species to the British List (Ent. Mo. Mag., 1912, p. 211) Dr. Joy mentions having 

 seen specimens of my collecting from Sovith Wales. These were taken on the 

 Glamorgan sandhills by general sweeping fifteen or more years ago. A visit to 

 old haunts last June, in company with Messrs. Hallett and Perrins, gave an oppor- 

 tunity for detailed search for this species, and it occurred in numbers to all of 

 us on Viola curtisii Forst., on the Kenfig Burrows. This violet is locally abundant 

 on the Glamorgan sandhills, growing in small clumps on the bare sand, and its 

 flowers are indifferently yellow, blue or parti-coloured. It was formerly confused 

 with Viola lutea Huds., the motmtain pansy, and recorded as such by Dillwyn 

 from the Crwmlyn Burrows about seventy years ago. — J. E. le B. Tomlin, 

 Lakefoot, Hamilton Road, Reading : December 12th, 1914. 



Note on the food of Piinus tectus Boield. — This beetle seems, like Anohium 

 paniceum L., to be able to adapt itself to food of the most varied character. 

 My friend Mr. H. Britten recently showed me a tin of chocolate powder broiight 

 fi'om Thame, Oxon, which was swarming with the Ptimis in all its stages ; and 

 a few days ago I received a specimen from the Eev. A. Thornley, one of a 



