74 March, 



could thej possibly all gather together in this manner ? the more obvious conclusion 

 would seem to be that all had fed together, and at the same rate of growth, and 

 together had left the nest to search out a suitable place for pupation. This may be 

 the case, but the aspect of the bunch of cocoons is not that of a great number spun 

 simultaneously, but rather of the regular addition of fresh cocoons to those already 

 made ; those in the middle being, apparently, pretty straight and parallel, while 

 those outside are curved round the sides of the mass, occupying every interstice, so 

 as to present the closest possible continuous outer surface. Hence it seems probable 

 that by some fine perceptive faculty, all, as they became full-fed, followed their more 

 advanced brethren, and added their labours to the mass. — Chas. G. Baerett, 39, 

 Linden Grove, Nunhead, S.E. : February, 1895. 



Pemistent odour of Bomhyx querciis ? • — Breeding a female Sombyx quereus, 

 L., I thouglit T would try assembling, so took it out with me on July 7th last, but 

 although the weather was everything that could be desired I failed to atti'act a 

 single male ; it was evidently a little too early for them. I did not do any day 

 collecting again until July 15th, on which occasion I left the female at home, not 

 thinking her worth taking out so long after emergence, but I had on the same 

 satchel as on the previous occasion. Almost as soon as I had arrived on my col- 

 lecting ground it became evident that I was the centre of attraction to a number of 

 male B. quereus, which kept flying round me in their usual headlong manner, giving 

 me every opportunity of netting them, and so they continued for some time, and 

 even after I had moved off to a large open common one or two came. I was rather 

 puzzled at first to account for the evident attraction, until it struck me that the 

 cause was my having carried the female in my bag more than a week previously. — 

 A. n. Hamm, Reading: Januari/, 1895. 



Scyhalicus ohlongiuscnlus, Dej., in the IsJe of PurhecJc. — On July 25th last, when 

 the Rev. F. O. Pickard-Cambridgc and I were collecting on the west coast of the 

 Isle of Purbeck, my companion was lucky enough to find under a stone on the beach, 

 just at the foot of the cliff, a single male specimen of the very rare Scyhalicus 

 ollongiusetilus, which was promptly secured. A diligent search was at once made, 

 but no others could be discovered ; perhaps in so late a season it was still rather too 

 early to expect to find any more in the perfect state, and we had no opportunity of 

 paying another visit to the locality. It is a great pleasure to be able to record the 

 capture of this beetle in Purbeck, because, although it has been taken on other parts 

 of the Dorset coast line both east and west of Weymouth Bay, it has not, to my 

 knowledge, been previously met with in this neighbourhood. As I am aware that 

 much excellent work among the Coleoptera of the Isle of Purbeck has been done 

 during the last few years by visitors staying at Swanage, Bournemouth, and else- 

 where, I should be very grateful for any lists, with approximate localities and names 

 of captors if possible, of reliably-identified species taken within its boundaries. 

 Although no Coleopterist myself, I hope at some future time to prepare, on behalf 

 of our Dorset Nat. Hist, and A. F. Club, a catalogue of the beetles known to occur 

 in this district, because it seems a pity that the interesting results of such good work 

 should not be recorded in the annals of the county. — Eustace R. Bankes, The 

 Rectory, Corfe Castle, Dorset : January "ilh, 1895. 



