4-1 tJ^^y' 



tris ; I brought three or four large roots home, and when 1 opened the paper, I 

 found the msect in question among the wet roots." This is the third rare or unique 

 species of TacJiys that has been found in the North of England ; there is no doubt 

 that these small coast Cardbidce are very liable to be introduced with ballast, and 

 that they may occasionally establish themselves in small colonies, but there is no 

 evidence to show that this is so in the case before us. 



T. parvulus is recorded from Grermany, Spain, South France, Piedmont, Swit- 

 zerland, and Syria, so that it is an insect that we should hardly expect to meet with 

 so far north. — W. W. Fowlee, Lincoln : June 10th, 1885. 



Note on Syncliita juglandis and S. mediolanensis. — On the 9th inst., the Rev. 

 H. S. Grorham and myself met with a colony of a species of Synchita in an old 

 blown-down beech near Lyndhurst ; the insect was found in larval, pupal and imago 

 states, and the specimens varied extremely in size. On attempting to determine 

 the species, I found some difficulty in deciding to which of the two species in our 

 British Catalogue our examples should be referred. S. juglandis has been long 

 recognised as an inhabitant of our country, though of extreme rarity in col- 

 lections ; and in the Entomologist's Annual for 1868, p. 65, Mr. Rye introduced 

 with considerable hesitation a second species {S. mediolanensis) to our list, from 

 examples found by Charles Turner in the New Forest. The series of specimens 

 found by Mr. Grorham and myself show much variation in size and colour ; the paler 

 examples agreeing well with the supposed S. mediolanensis in my collection, and 

 fully matured ones with S. juglandis. Neither Mr. Grorham nor myself entertains 

 any doubt, however, as to all being the same species, so that I feel pretty certain we 

 at present possess in Britain only one species of Synchita, viz., S. juglandis, nuct. 

 Since the time when Mr. Rye's note above referred to was written, an important 

 memoir on the European Colydidce has been given us by Reitter, and this enables 

 us, I think, to decide with certainty that our British species really is the old S. 

 juglandis. Reitter gives three European species of the genus, viz., S. juglandis, S. 

 separanda, Reitt., and 8. mediolanensis. Of 8. separanda I possess specimens from 

 South- Western Europe, and think it probably not distinct from 8. juglandis. 8. 

 mediolanensis I have not seen ; but it is clear our supposed examples of that species 

 are not it. I may here mention that Reitter calls this genus Ditoma, not Synchita, 

 our genus Bitoma, or Ditoma as purists prefer to call it, taking with him the name 

 of Synchitodes, Crotch, the name Synchita being dropped altogether. This course 

 causes extreme confusion, and, so far as I can see, does not even pretend to be of any 

 advantage, so I think should be abandoned. — D. Sharp, Southampton : May 2\st, 

 1885. 



Hydradephaga in salt tvater. — Mr. Donovan's note (cf. ante p. 13) reminds me 

 that some months ago I kept several species of Hydradephaga and Palpicornia in a 

 vessel of sea water, in order to ascertain whether they would be in any way affected. 

 As I had anticipated, they lived in perfect health for some little time, and died at 

 last only owing to the unnoticed decease of one of the large Mollusca which was 

 inhabiting the same vessel, and whose dead body tainted the water to such a degree 

 as to kill all the other inmates. The species experimented upon were Haliplus 

 rujico'.lis, Hydroporus planus, Agahus bip ustulatus, nnd Helophorus aquaticus. The 



