7q [March, 



lata after iisiny separate iiaiiies for seven different varieties, forthwith hunps 

 them all together imder one name, ■i!-2n(,nctata, L. A name as a symbol for a 

 definition is well, but if it be made the symbol for several definitions its utility 

 disappears. I cannot call to mind that any English author has suggested that 

 varieties should be ignored ; on the conti-ary, Dr. Sharp, in chapter ix of his 

 pamphlet on Zoological Nomenclatvire (1873J expressed the hope that varieties 

 would soon receive more attention than they had hitherto done. It appeared 

 to him that the purposes of Science would be best served by there being 

 no names for varieties, but that every aiithor who specialized varieties 

 should do so by means of a letter or figure, or combination of the two. 

 Whether the latter system has any advantage over that of naming is matter of 

 opinion, but it is to be hoped that in any futvire catalogue of British beetles 

 scientific utility will not be sacrificed to mere prejudice or the curtailment of 

 the cost of printing. — J. Edwards, Colesborne, Cheltenham : Feb. 7th, 1910. 



Cis hilamellatus, Fowl., in Australia. — Amongst the large numlier of 

 " Blackburn " types of Australian beetles at present deposited in the British 

 Museum, there are two species of interest to our Coleopterists here, from the 

 jjoint of view of geographical distribution. One of them is Fristonychus 

 australis, Blackb., which is correctly sunk as synonymous with the cosmo- 

 politan Lse-most'enus complanatus, Dej., in the second edition of Eeitter's Cata- 

 logue (1906). The other is Cis munitus, Blackb. [Trans. E. Soc. S. Austr. x, 

 p. 268 (1888)1, from Port Lincoln, which is synonymous with G. hilamellatus. 

 Fowl. (1884), the type of the former, a S , agreeing perfectly with the same sex 

 of the species described by Fowler. G hilamellatus is still, I believe, to be 

 found in its old locality at West Wickham, but it seems probable that it has 

 been introduced in some way there, as in Australia, and that its real home has 

 yet to be discovered. As regards this species, I may add that during the 

 present winter it has been found bre<Hling in great nimibers in Polyporus on 

 Ijirch, obtained from the New Forest l)y one of our natural histoiy dealers, for 

 the purpose of cutting up into small blocks for staging minute pinned insects, 

 the stock of Polyporus in question having been completely, pulverised by its 

 attacks. I have previotisly foiuid Cis fuscatus under similar conditions, but 

 this is the first time that C. hilamellatus has been detected amongst Polyporus 

 brought to me for examination in London. So far as I am aware, C hilamel- 

 latus has not been recorded from the New Forest, and the insect may have 

 found its way into the stocked Polyporus from some obtained from other places. 

 I am indebted to Mr. E. A. Waterhouse for calling my attention to these 

 Blackbui-n types. — G. C. Champion, Horsell, Woking : February 2nd, 1910. 



l^ote on Grammoptera rujicornis, F., var. pallipes, Steph. — Mr. Bullock 

 recently sent me an example of this variety of G. ruficornis from Killarney for 

 determination. I had not seen a specimen of it before, and this form must 

 therefore be of rare occvu'rence in Britain ; but, according to Johnson and 

 Halbert (List &c., p. 754), it is not uncommon in Ireland. The insect, too, 

 appears to have escaped the notice of Continental Coleopterists, as it is not 



