COLEOPTERA, ETC., IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 229 



fully at least a dozen such plants with her antennffi, and seemed hard 

 pressed in the wish to lay, once or twice coiling her abdomen as if about 

 to do so, but finally leaving the plant to find one not aphid-tenanted. 

 The female seems only to lay one egg on a plant, but a suitable plant 

 may be found to have two or three eggs on it, each egg evidently laid 

 by difl'erent ? s. In 24 hours the pale-coloured egg has become yellow, 

 but does not change to its bright orange tint until some three or four 

 days at least have passed. The slow methodical manner in which a 

 2 , when egg-laying, threads its way through the herbage, leaves no 

 manner of doubt as to her intention. At other times, when feeding, 

 she flies higher and somewhat more rapidly, selecting the flowers 

 from which she chooses to suck the nectar, and resting some time 

 when thus engaged. A 2 was observed to leave her egg-laying to 

 visit some thyme-flowers, but she was very restless, stayed only a few 

 moments and returned to the business on hand. It is, perhaps, worthy 

 of note that the 2 s were more puzzled by a slender-leaved Euphorbia 

 than any other plant, and seemed sometimes to hover over it with 

 considerable uncertainty. 



Coleoptera, etc., in the Isle of Wight. 



By H. St. J. K. DONISTHORPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 I took a house at Sandown for four weeks from the 1st of August 

 last, and the following are some of my entomological captures during that 

 time. During the first three weeks the drought made insects scarce, 

 and when the rain did come, we had too much of it. Still, on the 

 whole, I did fairly well and added some very interesting species to the 

 Isle of Wight coleopterous fauna. Those species marked with ■■'■ are 

 new to the Island's list. At Sandow-n the following species may be 

 mentioned: — Abdera bifasciata, swept oil" umbels; '■' Monoto}ita longi- 

 collifi, in vegetable refuse ; Throscus obtusns, not uncommon by beating 

 a dead hedge ; * Phyllodecta cavifrons, abundant on white poplar ; 

 Apthona niyriceps, sweeping in a copse, this is a remarkable record as 

 it is only recorded from Eggington near Burton-on-Trent, Cowfold, and 

 Kircaldy in Scotland. Its food-plant is (Jeraniuni. pratense (crane's 

 bill) ; - Lathridius aiu/nlatus, at roots of Lotus major, etc. I took a 

 specimen of this species in cop. with Corticaria crenulata. * Habrocerus 

 capillaricornis, sweeping ; Apiun varipes, sweeping red clover, not very 

 common; Ajnon dissiwile, common on " hare's foot " trefoil; Apiun 

 filirostre on 21edica;io satira ; Caulotri/pis aeneopiceus, common beating 

 dead hedge ; Mordellistena parvula, sweeping at Culver (I swept it at 

 Niton in July) ; Salphvius ater, on white posts in the evening ; 

 Limnichus pippiiaeus, in wet moss; Homalota dirisa, in dead crab; 

 ■■Homaloia imjuinula, in dung; -'Homalota indubia, under refuse; 

 '■'■' Homalota holetobia, sweeping ; Sitonescambricus, in great profusion at 

 roots of Lotus major ; ■■'• Sunius h/onessius, Joy, I took two specimens of 

 this insect, which has just been described by my friend Dr. Joy (see 

 F.^L^L, 1908, p. 177), as a subspecies, one under a board, and the other 

 by beating a dead hedge. He now thinks, and I quite agree with him, 

 that it is a good and distinct species. Anisoxija fuscula beating 

 dead hedge, this is only the second specimen recorded from the 

 island, the first was taken by me at Freshwater, some years ago ; 

 Acujialpus jiavicollis at roots of rushes, '■■(Jchthebius e.varatus, this very 



