1906.] 199 



eollec'tincr before publis]iin«r this note, but on the whole I think it 

 best to do so now, althou^^h I am sure there are a great many more 

 species to be discovered in the nests than I record here. 



Moles' nests are made either of grass, leaves, or sedge, the 

 structure depending on the situation in which the nest is placed. 

 I have found those made of leaves as a rule most profitable and the 

 grass ones least so. The neat is situated a few inches below the 

 ground level, and generally nearly a foot from the actual surface of 

 the ' mole-heap." There is no direct entrance to the nest from the 

 surface, but the earth over it is generally loose, and in dry weather 

 so cracked as to often almost expose it, and I expect this is one 

 of the routes by which the beetles enter. There are in the nests 

 always a certain number of the flea, Hystrichopsylla talpce^ 

 Curt., and other species, and their larvae, the latter I have 

 little doubt forming the chief food of the Sfaphylinidcs and their 

 larvae. In dry birds' nests, such as those built in holes in walls or 

 buildings, fleas and their larvae are always present in very large 

 numbers, because the nests are too dry for beetles. In moles' nests 

 and nests in holes in trees, where there is suflicient moisture for 

 beetles, fleas are never found in such quantities, although they are 

 always present. 



The following is a list of the Coleoptera I have taken in the nest 

 of the mole. I have divided the species into three classes, viz. : 

 A, those that are evidently peculiar to the nests, and which are only 

 accidentally found elsewhere ; B, those that are commonly found in 

 the nests and breed there, but also are found and breed elsewhere ; 

 C, purely accidental species 



Heterothops nigra, Kr. — This is the most characteristic of 

 the mole's nest Coleoptera, and is nearly always present, often in 

 numbers. It is the species that has been recorded from Britain under 

 the name H. qiindripunctula, Gr. Mons. Fauvel pointed out to me 

 this error of determination, and has very kindly given me a specimen 

 of the true R. quadripimctula. He and other continental Entomo- 

 logists have regarded H. nigra as a mere colour variety of H. prcevia, 

 Er., as they very rightly point out there is no apparent structural 

 difference between them. There can be no doubt that this is a 

 mistake, and the often worthless colour distinction is in this case of 

 great importance, and is in fact specific. K. prcevia is not an 

 uncommon species, inhabiting old straw in cowhouses, cellars, &c., 

 and occurs in the former situation in this neighbourhood ; but among 



