292 [October, 



Gabrius prhnigenius Joy : a correction. — Dr. Sharp pointed out to ine, after I 

 had published my note on Gabrius primigenius Joy (Ent. Mo. Mag., Vol. L, p. 258) 

 as a British beetle, that this species is the one he named as G. velox, and that 

 my illustration in the Ent. Mo. Mag., Vol. XLIX, p. 25, of the aedeagus of 

 (t. vclox is incorrect. G. primigenius Joy, is therefore a synonym of G. velox 

 Sharp, and Fig. 1 of uiy illustrations represents the aedeagus of the latter 

 species. Fig. 6 being only a small example of G. nigritulus. 



Dr. Sharp tells me that he regards G. velox as a very local species. He 

 used to take it in numbers in flood I'ubbish at the sides of a small stream in 

 the New Forest, but it has now disappeared from this locality. He believes 

 it had originally been washed out of its natiiral habitat, which, from my 

 experience, is probably in sphagnum, growing in woods. — Nokman H. Jot, 

 Bradlield, Berks. : September 6th, 1915. 



A food-plant of Orthochaetes insignis Aube. — Mr. J. E. le B. Tomlin's note 

 in the January number of this Magazine (p. 18), on the association of Ortho- 

 chaetes insignis with the characteristic Sandhill Pansy, Viola curtisii Forst., 

 prompted me to look for this beetle whilst at Porthcawl in June. There are on 

 these sandhills, as Mr. Toinlin remarks, three forms of the Pansy : one with 

 yellow flowers, one with blue, and a third with parti-coloured ; and there are 

 also large quantities of the Sandhill Violet, V. ericetormn Schrader. In 

 searching these plants I soon discovered the beetle on those with the yellow 

 flowers, bnt none occurred on the other two forms, nor on the Violet. I then 

 went to the length of removing plants of these others, together with the sand 

 surrounding them, and carefully sifting the whole through muslin, but still 

 without finding the beetle. 



Professor A. H. Trow, D.Sc, F.L.S., in the " Flora of Glamorgan," published 

 by the Cardiff Naturalists' Society, considers the three forms of the Sandhill 

 Pansy would repay experimental cultivation, and I think my experience with 

 the beetle, whilst it does not prove its restriction to one form, at least seems 

 to indicate a marked preference, and is an additional incentive to the working 

 out of the pedigree of these pansies. The Hemipteron Thyreocoris scara- 

 baeoides L., also occurred sparingly on the yellow form. — H. M. Hallett, 

 64, Westbourne Road, Penarth : September 4th, 1915. 



Meligethes brevis Sturm, in Co. Durham. — As, so far as I can discover, tlierc 

 has been no recorded caj^ture of this beetle for many years, it may be well to 

 state that two specimens of the var. mutabilis Eosenh., occurred to me on 

 Helianthemum vulgare at Horden on July 21st. The variety is easily recognised 

 in the field by its food-plant, its short, somewhat broad appearance, and by 

 the red spot on each elytron. I took the specimens as soon as I reached the 

 collecting ground, and more would doubtless have been captured had not 

 sundry exciting adventures considerably restricted my collecting activities for 

 the remainder of the day. The species was first taken on the Durham coast by 

 my friend Mr. John Gardner, who sent it among a number of unnamed speci- 

 mens to Mr. W. G. Blatch, by whom, I believe, it was recorded. It probably 



