2-iO ^^-^i'^^' 



slide, with the following note : "I took the insect at Hastings many years ago, and 

 impaled it on a ' spike.' It ultimately went to pieces, and I preserved only the wing, 

 as I thought it a curious insect. It was named for me, some years ago, by the late 

 F. Smith." 



This forms an exception to the otherwise ascertained distribution of the insect 

 in Britain (cf. ante, p. 140). There is no prima facie reason why the species should 

 not occur over nearly the whole of this island. Still a suspicion suggests itself to 

 the effect that the Hastings example may have resulted from an egg or pupa on an 

 imported shrub. The mystery attached to this insect in connection with its oc- 

 currence in Britain, is why, having so conspicuous an appearance, it should be so 

 little known. 



The specimen here alluded to has been already recorded, and should have been 

 included in Mr. Morton's notes at p. 140. The record is to be found in " The 

 Natural History of Hastings and vicinity : first supplement (p. 35)," published in 

 1883. — R. McLachlan, Lewisham, London : February l^th, 1886. 



On the occurrence of Orthezia cataphracta, Shaw, in Styria. — Some years ago, 

 when my attention was occupied with the Flora of the calcareous mountains of 

 North Stiermark, I found at the roots of a saxifrage {Saxifraga aizoon) an elegant 

 cream-white insect, which afterwards proved to be Orthezia cataphracta. For assist- 

 ance in its determination I am obliged to Dr. F. Low of Yienna. I found it only 

 at the roots of the said saxifrage, and to be able to see it the plant must be drawn 

 out of the ground. Although the saxifrage abounds on our calcareous mountains, I 

 can obtain the Orthezia up to this time only at the place where I found it at first. 

 On the Krumpalpe Saxifraga aizoon occurs frequently, but I have found yearly at 

 the roots of only a few plants a moderate number of the Orthezia, yet over a range 

 of nearly 1300 met., which is the height of the mountain. Thus we find this insect, 

 which lives in Greenland, Lapland, North England, Scotland and Ireland, to be also 

 an inhabitant of our Alps. I may mention that I found the Orthezia specially on 

 those plants of saxifrage which grew on the more humid and mossy ground. During 

 the last four years I have visited the place at different times from April to Decem- 

 ber, and although I always found females, with and without marsupium, I have 

 failed to obtain a male ; my experiments in breeding have also had a negative result. 



I hope to finish in a short time a detailed monograph of this anatomically 

 interesting insect. — J. H. List, Zool. Institut, Graz : February bth, 1886. 



A species of Amara new to Britain. — Among a number of beetles sent me 

 some time ago for determination by Mr. Robert Gillo, of Bath, I found a specimen 

 of an Amara which at once struck me as being different from any of the hitherto 

 recorded British species. I sent the specimen to the Rev. W. W. Fowler, and 

 afterwards to Herr Reitter, the latter of whom returned it as certainly the Amara 

 montivaga, of Sturm, a species which in the most recent European catalogue is given 

 as an inhabitant of middle and northern Europe, but which has not, I think, been 

 previously recorded from Britain. Mr. Gillo tells me he took the specimen near 

 Bath, but does not remember the exact locality or the date of its capture. I have 

 appended a description of the specimen, which is a male. 



Amara montivaga, Sinrm : — Oblong-oval, slightly convex ; dark greenish-bronze. 



