4)2 ' [February, 



the mandibles of the Cicindela larva. Finally, Adlerz suggests that the 

 genus MetJwca should be removed from the Mutillidae, and given an 

 independent position, or perhaps placed among the Thynnidae. 



"Washington, D.C., U.S.A.: 

 December, 1914. 



" A Natural History of British Butterflies." — Under this title a series of 

 articles by the well-known Entomological artist, Mr. F. W. Frohawk, F.E.S., 

 to be eventually published in book form with a very large number of illustrations 

 in coloiir, is appearing weekly in the " Field" newspaper. To quote from the 

 introductory remarks this work "embodies a new idea in that it contains a 

 complete series of drawings of every phase of the life-cycle of all of our sixty- 

 eight British butterflies." These drawings are the outcome of a study of our 

 butterflies extending over 24 years, during which period no fewer than 900 

 figures, of their early stages only, have been made by the author direct from the 

 objects themselves, the material in the case of our rarities and casual visitors 

 having been procured from Continental sources. The life-histories are very 

 clearly and carefully drawn up, and these, when published, will embody a larger 

 amount of first-hand work than has yet appeared in any single volume devoted 

 to our butterfly fauna. The figures as reproduced in black and white are 

 masterpieces of graceful and accurate drawing, and we woiild call special 

 attention to those of Papilio machaon and Vanessa ariHopa (at rest), accompanying 

 the first article, which appeared on December 26th last. — Eds. 



The British species of Haliplus related to H. ruficollis De Geer. — As 

 Mr. F. Balfour-Browne's very interesting paper on these insects [Ann. and Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. (8) xv, pp. 97-124, pis. vii, viii, Jan., 1915] may, perhaps, be overlooked 

 by some of our Coleopterists, we give a brief extract from it, mainly to call 

 attention to the subject. He recognizes seven species, of which only three were 

 known in our islands until a few years ago : 1, apicalis Thoms. ( = striatus 

 Sharp ; 2, fluviatilis Aube ; 3, nomax Balf .-Browne, with a var. browneanus 

 Sharp ; 4, wehnckei Gerh. ; 5, ruficollis De Geer ; 6, heydeni Wehncke ; 7, imniac- 

 ulatus Gerh. The paper includes an excellent description of the general 

 structure, <? armature, &c., of all of them ; and there are also some remarks on 

 H.fulvicollis Er. and H. furcatus Seidl., neither of which is recorded as British. 

 The subject is divided into eight chapters : General form ; The elytral striae ; 

 The puncturation of the elytra in the female ; The prosternum ; The prothoracic 

 striae and sculpture of the thorax ; The characters of the male ; The Britannic 

 species ; Bibliography. The structure of the aedeagus, of which a greatly 

 enlarged figure is given on p. 109, is described at length, and some new terms 

 are used for various portions of the strvicture, such as "saccular region," 

 "tongue," "wing," hood," &c., and a collective term for the whole, "Aedeago- 

 phore. On the plates the aedeagus of each of the seven British species 

 mentioned is figured, as well as that of the Continental H. fulvicollis and 

 if. furcatus. — Eds. 



