.144 [June, 



Pakefield Cliffs, near Lowestoft, have siilfered severely from 

 erosion since Frederick Smith collected there, and but few of his 

 rarities remain. On August 19th, 1908, I could find no Aculeate 

 Hymenoptera upon them but Myrmosa melanoceplmla and Mellinus 

 arvensis. The latter, however, was abundant, and constantly oljserved 

 carrying Diptera to its holes in the sand, alwut half way up the face 

 of the cliff. Many of the " prey " were ejected, and comprised, as 

 far as my observation went : — Several Evplioria cornicina, Tab. ; 

 several Scatophaga stercoraria, Linn. ; Ceromasia spectabilis, Mg., 

 which abounded among the marram grass of the " denes ;" Spilogaster 

 sp., Phyto melanocephala, Mg., Lucilia exsar, Linn., Onesia sepul- 

 chrcdis, Linn., 8yrplius balteatus, De Gr., Hylemyia sp. (pro))ably H. 

 strigosa, Fab.), Pollenia rudls, Fab., and Sarcoplmga melannra, Mg. 

 I noticed one 9 Mellinus carrying a fly upside-down, with its legs 

 I'ound the hitter's thorax ; another was carrying L. cxsar the right 

 way up, with its legs also clasping the fly's thorax, but with its man- 

 dibles lightly fixed iu the fly's proboscis, which position was rendered 

 practicable by the reversion of the hitter's head. 



Monk Soham House, Suffolk : 

 March 7th, 1910. 



Ceuthorrhynchidcus mixtus. Mills., c'^c, in the Oxford district. — On May 16th 

 — almost the first favoui-able day for many weeks — I had the good fortune to 

 sweep up an example of the very rare Ccuthorrhynchideus tnixtus, Muls.,* from 

 nettles and mixed herbage in a shady lane near Tubney, Berks. In the net the 

 beetle bears a strong superficial resemblance to a small feebly-marked Cceliodes 

 4-maculatus, and I fear is sometimes thrown out as that too abundant pest. 

 My insect agrees in every respect with a fine specimen of the species in the 

 " Dale " collection of Coleoptera, now in the Oxford University Museum, 

 labelled " Newton Abbott " in the handwriting of the late Mr. T. V. WoUaston. 



Of Ceuthorrhynchus pilosellus, Gyll. — thanks to a friendly hint from Mr. 

 Tomlin, who fovmd this rare species at Tubney in March last — I took several 

 examples in a sandy field, crawling about on patches of bare sand and " trapped " 

 in rabbit-holes. I am still as far off a satisfactory conclusion as ever as to its 

 food-plant, but I suspect it will prove to be one of the common little yellow- 

 flowered Composite of the genus Lcontodon. Other noteworthy beetles taken 

 on the same day include Atomaria versicolor, A2)hanisticus pxisillus, Rhytidosomus 

 globulus,* and Phytohius quadrinodosus by general sweeping, and Trox sabulosus 

 in an old rabbit-skin. — James J. Walker, Oxford .- May 18th, 1910. 



* Not included in " Victoria County History " Li.st of Berkshire Coleoptera. 



