■881.] 139 



their movements in mid-currents. Bledii and Trogophlcei would be carried away 

 from their burrows in the mud-flats to situations unfit for their existence, and all the 

 minute members of this family are largely dependent for their well-being on the 

 Humidity of the situations where they dwell. Large heavy-bodied insects have a 

 weight to counteract the undue influence of the wind, hence the Lucanidce were 

 absent on the ridge ; and the Longicornia have a counterpoise in the long antennae. 

 But in the Staphylinidce the advantage of shortened elytra is very marked, and is 

 one of those forms of organization which extend the lives of individuals and races 

 by fitting them for the mechanical contingencies of their existence. 



The traveller in Japan, go in what direction he will, meets with mountains, and 

 in going over the " toge " or passes between them, will generally ascend with the 

 |breeze, or face it as he descends, after passing the ridge, and many times in such 

 places, by sweeping where there is vegetation, have I obtained great numbers of 

 Melanotics and other Coleoptera, evidently collected there by the breeze. 



The shortened wing-case in all the families mentioned is accompanied with a 

 prolonged abdomen, which is an additional balancing power, and it is significant that 

 a very large proportion of the flying Coleoptera belong to the Brachelytra, and that 

 mountain species, such as Lesleva, have the longest elytra, and cling to the under- 

 surfaces of stones near water. In Japan there is one genus, Tryg&us, which is 

 sluggish, living under damp leaves in forests, and its elytra are scarcely shortened at 

 all. It would, however, be difficult to base any general theory upon these facts, as so 

 many mountain species have very abbreviated elytra and no wings at all, and such 

 wet-loving sluggish creatures as Acrognatha have short elyh-a utterly disproportionate 

 to the length of their body. 



In former days I frequently found Hydaticus (Trans. Ent. Soc, 1873, p. 45) 

 lunder stones at an elevation of 1600 feet, that is, 1200 feet above any water, and 

 this spring I secured two examples on the back-bone of the same mountain, and I 

 bow account for their presence at this altitude by their being caught by an ascending 

 ^current, the membranous wings being insufficient to counteract the lifting power of 

 the elytra. — G-eorge Lewis, Hiogo Hotel, Kobe : July 8th, 1881. 



Coleoptera near Hastings. — The following are some of our best captures this 

 Iseason : — Melandrya caraboides, a few in an ash-log at Hollington ; two or three 

 Mordellistena abdominalis, by beating May-blossom ; Atemeles emarginatus, caught 

 flying over a road at Hollington. We have again met with a few specimens of 

 Atlwus difformis. The Camber sand-hills have produced Crypticus quisquiliits, 

 Helops pallidus, Xantholinus tricolor, a quantity of Cteniopus sulphureus, off Galium, 

 and Ceuth. echii^ which was abundant on Echium. From a dead cat, at the same 

 place, we got a small series of Saprinus immundus. Phaleria cadaverina was very 

 plentiful under putrid fish in the larval as well as the perfect state. Some moss 

 vielded a few Hyperaspis reppensis ; Silpha littoralis was not uncommon in rooks 

 which we hung up in a wood at Gruestling, in May, accompanied by a few S. thora- 

 hica, Necrophorus vespillo, ruspator and interruptus, and quantities of mortuorum and 

 humator. A single specimen of the somewhat rare Rhynchites cvpreus was obtained 

 it Heathfield. Strangalia 4-fasciata has occurred at Gruestling, Heathfield, Battle, 

 md Dallington ; and Chrysomela fastuosa, near Gruestling. Lampyris noctllaca 

 las been unusually plentiful this season.— E. P. and H. F. Collett, 12, Springfield 

 Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea : October 12th, 1881. 



