X38 [November, 



this form. The bone-white face, the black frons, with the three 

 transverse pale lines, the white I-shaped character across the trans- 

 verse nerve of the basal area of the coriuin, alone afford characters for 

 its easy recognition. 



Taken by Mr. J. Edwards, near Norwich. 

 Lee, S.E. : 6th October, 1881. 



The influence of Volcanos on flying Coleoptera. — On the 15 th July, 1880, I as- 

 cended a volcano in South Yezo, and I may roughly describe the mountain as being 

 about 2600 feet high, with vegetation of small oak and alder to 1200 feet, and then 

 shrubs and grass, leaving a cone of 600 to 700 feet, a bare surface of powdered lava 

 or sand to absorb and radiate the heat of a July sun. 



On the oaks and alders were many Lucanidce and Elateridce, a Calosoma, and 

 now and then a tree Silpha allied to ^-punctata. In the high sandy area I saw 

 nothing but sand-piercing Hymenoptera, until I reached the ridge of the crater. The 

 ridge was about 15 to 20 feet broad, and the crater say 150 deep, and at the bottom 

 jets of steam, bubbling sand and sulphur, made walking in some parts impossible, or 

 even dangerous. Sitting on the ridge, tired and hot, I felt the mountain draught 

 most refreshing, and, in a few moments more, discovered around me a number of 

 Elateridce, some dead and dry on the sand ; others struggling on their backs, and 

 now and then some new arrival on the wing, fresh and vigorous from the forest 

 below, came to join tbe dead or dying on the crater's edge. Looking about, I sub- 

 sequently obtained a few dead Silpha 6-carinata, Mots. It seemed to me that about 

 three hours were sufficient to kill an Elater after it dropped on tbe sand, the great 

 heat gradually destroying its life by abstracting its moisture, and I observed speci- 

 mens fall on the ridge that were not carried over into the crater. The Elateridce 

 consisted of two or three tree-species with red elytra, and doubtless began life in 

 the forest below, and were not seeking food on the burning sandy height. The 

 conclusion is, therefore, that they were carried up involuntarily, borne on the current 

 of wind, which was flowing upwards to the crater, and caused by the different 

 temperature on the sand to that in the area of vegetation below it. 



When I passed through the forest, insects in this northern latitude were in the 

 profusion of summer ; and the question arises — why, of all this abundance, did the 

 Elateridc? and Silphidee alone arrive to perish on the dry heated lava. The elytra 

 of these species, when raised to the angle necessary to allow the membranous wings 

 action for flight, ai'e just in that position to catch the full force of the upward 

 current, and thus these species with ample elytra met their death by being mechani- 

 cally lifted up into the arid region of sand. No Elaters were found in the crater, 

 as at the ridge the direction of the air-current cbanged, and they fell on the earth ; 

 and the sand-piercing Hymenoptera of the intermediate area were absent on the 

 ridge, as their wings, all used for motive power, enabled them to fly hither and 

 thither in tbe breeze, and they remained in their natural location. 



These notes throw some light on the shortened wing-cases of certain Coleoptera, 

 notably, of course, the Brachelytra. Then a few Lonyicornia (Necydalis), a few 

 Telephoridce (Ichthyurus) , and a good many Nitidulidce. The Staphylinidce are 

 very free fliers, and their wings would, with ample elytra, be powerless to direct 



