252 [April, 



spots on each elytron hare become confluent by the ahiiost entire disappearance of 

 the central black transverse fascia, and form an undulating longitudinal mark some 

 what as in Pht/llotreta sinuata. The Dromins seems, as a rule, to vary but very 

 little, and then only as regards the size of the spots. In Yorkshire, where the 

 insect was extremely abundant under loose beech bark, I used regularly to examine 

 the specimens in hope of finding some notable variety, but was quite unsuccessful. 

 The above mentioned specimen was kindly given to me by Mr. G. H. Verrall, with 

 many of the type form, and was, I believe, taken by him some yeai's ago near Lewes. 

 — Edward A. Waterhouse, British Museum : February 28ih, 1874. 



[Dr. Schaum, Ins. Deutschl., i, p. 271, records the capture, in Mark Branden- 

 burg, of a somewhat similar variety of the allied Dromius quadrinotatus, in which 

 the larger front elytral spot was entirely confluent with the lander one, and there 

 remained only an irregular patch of brown colour, occupying the outer and hinder 

 fourth of each elytron. — E. C. R.] 



Scotch form of Pterostichus nigrita. — There is a small Ptercstichus not un- 

 common on some of the mountains near Braemar, which seems to correspond in 

 respect of size and general build with the description of P. rhceticus, Hecr, being 

 smaller and narrower than ordinary specimens of 7iigrita. In other respects, how- 

 ever, it does not fit the desci'iption of rhceticus, which (if Hecr's description be 

 accurate) it is hard to believe can be (as Dr. Schaum says) a mere var. of nigrita. 

 The insect of which I write differs from nigrita (besides in the respects already 

 mentioned) in having the anterior angles of the thorax somewhat less produced, and 

 the elytra duller, with distinctly flatter interstices. 



Among other interesting vars. that I observed last svimmer near Braemar, I 

 may mention Loricera pilicornis with the elytra almost entirely ferruginous, and 

 Agabus arcticrts (var. ;3, Gyllenhal), in which the thorax and elytra are, with the 

 exception of a narrow testaceous margin, uniformly blackish-brown. — Thomas 

 BlACKBUEN, Grrccnhithe : March, lS7i. 



Recent captures of Coleoptera near Chatham. — Since the middle of January 

 last, I have had occasional opportunities of hunting for Coleoptera ; and a list of 

 the better species found by mo within a radius of four miles from Chatham may be 

 interesting, as showing what may be done during the " unprofitable " months of 

 January and February. 



Many of my captures were made in an old fallen beech tree, in an advanced 

 stage of decay, and riddled in every direction with the burrows of departed genera- 

 tions of wood-feeding beetles ; this tree had been some time previously well investi- 

 gated both by myself and Mr. Champion, but we had evidently far from exhausted 

 it. In the sounder portions of the tree, Melasis buprestoides I'ather astonished me 

 by turning up in unexpected profusion — one spell of about an hour, with no better 

 weapon of attack than a pocket-knife, yielding me over sixty good specimens, mostly 

 males ; while in the chinks of the rotten wood, and under the few remaining bits of 

 loose bark, I picked up, in several visits, Bolitochara hella and litcida, Poliiohius 

 cingulatiis (4), Quedius scitus, Bythinus Curtisi (in swarms), Scaphid ium 4-macuIatuin, 

 Pienidium turgidnm, Abrceus globosus (common), JSnnearthrum cornulum, Orchesia 

 undulaia (common), and many others of less interest. 



