RETKOSPEOT OF A COLEOPTERIST FOR 1907. 9 



Avistralian and Tasmanian Bynhidae, with Descriptions of New 

 Species," described seven new species of the genus Pediloplwrus, and 

 also gave a Hst of all tlie previously described species of the family. 



The last paper in this part is one by Dr. Chapman and Mr. G. C. 

 Champion on "Entomology in N.-W. Spain (Galicia and Leon)," 

 describing their sixth entomological journey to the peninsula, this 

 time to its north-west corner ; the visit lasted from mid -June to mid- 

 July, and, after an account of the route traversed and of the natural 

 features of the country in which they collected, the authors give brief 

 lists of the species collected, with notes as to their habits and localities. 

 Mr. Champion is responsible for that part which deals with the 

 coleoptera. 



In Part ii of the Transactions, issued on September 26th, are 

 several papers dealing with coleoptera; the first (p. 183), by the Eev. 

 G. A. Crawshay, deals with the life-history of Tetroplum (/ahrieUi, Ws., 

 and is illustrated by six excellent plates. This is one of the most 

 interesting papers -to British coleopterists which has appear^ in the 

 Transactions for several years. Mr. Crawshay has bred this species right 

 through from the egg to the imago, and has given a complete account 

 of all the stages and of the habits of the larvae; the methods he 

 adopted for breeding the insect and, at the same time, keeping the 

 larvjB under close observation were most ingenious, and reflect great 

 credit upon the author ; perhaps the most remarkable of his experi- 

 ments was the breeding of the perfect insect within three months of 

 the egg-laying of the parents, entirely in the open air, due to the 

 exceptional heat of the summer of 1906. The success which has 

 attended Mr. Crawshay's work will, it is hoped, induce other coleop- 

 terists to attempt similar experimental research with others of our 

 longicorns. 



Mr. Kershaw and Mr. Muir contributed a paper (p. 219) on the 

 egg-cases and early stages of some South China Cassididae, in which 

 they described the egg-cases and lavYse of four species — Coptocijcla 

 circumdata, Hl)st., which does not cover the egg-case with excremental 

 matter ; Aspidomorpha micans, Fab., which, sometimes in captivity, 

 but never in nature, partially covers its egg-case with excrement ; 

 Laccoptera chinensis, Fab., which usually covers its egg-case with 

 excremental matter; and, lastly, Cassida obtusata, Boh., which always 

 has bare egg-cases. The authors express the opinion that, at present, 

 it is not possible to state definitely that these egg-cases are solely for 

 protection against enemies or drought. 



The last paper in this Part (p. 809) is a joint one by Messrs. Dixey 

 and Longstaff, descriptive of their entomological observations and 

 captures during the visit of the British Association to South Africa in 

 1905. As these gentlemen were almost constantly on the move during 

 the eight weeks they spent in the sub-continent, and as they were 

 collecting insects of all orders (they secured 2500 specimens in all), 

 they could of necessity only skim the surface, so to speak, of the 

 collecting possibilities, yet they added several new species to the lists 

 of the fauna of South Africa. The number of species of coleoptera 

 collected was small, and I am afraid not much additional information 

 as to the geographical distribution of the species of this order has been 

 brought to light by their work ; no one who has not been trained to 



