186 iJanuary, 



been a great pleasure to me to watcli the moths hovering around the flowers late 

 in the Midsummer evenings. About ten o'clock on the evening of the 25th of 

 June several of these insects were fluttering about the Lychnis flowers, which were 

 then smelling very sweetly ; yet no other Noctuce seemed to visit them. The moth 

 first hovered over the flower, then settling on it, vibrated her wings rapidly whilst 

 she inserted her long telescopic ovipositor into its very depths, and deposited a 

 single egg upon the future capsule : in only one example that I saw was the egg 

 laid upon the petal, and then upon its claw : in none did I see it laid upon the male 

 flower. The next day I examined the Lychnis carefully, and found many eggs, 

 and on some plants the young capsules were already tenanted, as shown by the 

 small round hole which marked the entrance of the larva, in this its first stage of 

 growth, white and maggot-like. From this time the larva might always be met 

 with, coiled around the central placenta of the capsule, which seems as if formed 

 for their comfort. Some very nearly at their full growth were found as early as 

 the 5th of July. They began to bury under ground early in August, and the perfect 

 insects from them appeared in the May and June of the following season, the first 

 coming out on the 27th of May. The second year after planting the Lychnis, 

 Emmelesia decolorata also put in its appearance. Digitalis, in the same way, was 

 followed by Ewpithecia pulchellata ; and ivy planted around the house was tempta- 

 tion enough to induce Oura^pteryx samlucaria to come and take up its abode with 

 me. I mention these facts to try and induce others to cultivate insects at home 

 by naturalizing their food-plants in gardens. — Id. 



Captures of Coleoptera in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. — I have lately taken, at 

 Studley-Koyal, near Eipon, the following species : — 



Trechus oht^isus. This species is apparently more common here than T. mimitus. 

 Oxypoda nificomis. Homalota hepatica, five specimens ; two were found under 

 stones, and the others among dead leaves. Leptinus testaceus, with two of 

 Agathidiwm nigripervne, in moss at the root of an old holly -tree, in the dead wood 

 of which I also met with several specimens of Xyloterus domesticus. Liodes 

 orbicularis. Amphicyllis globus, one specimen only, of the uniformly red-brown 

 variety, found in dead leaves. Atoma/ria ferruginea, one specimen, foujid under a 

 stone. Atomaria sp. — ?, three specimens, taken when sweeping : I sent this insect 

 to London for identification, and am informed that it is distinct from any of the 

 recorded British species. It bears considerable resemblance to A. ferrugim,ea, but 

 has three dilated joints to the club of the antennse ; is rather larger, less thickly 

 punctured (and consequently more glossy), and of a darker colour, inclining to 

 chestnut. Triphyllus suturalis, Roplia philanthus. Diacanthus metallicus. 

 Helodes margim^ta, by sweeping at the margins of the river. Telephorus unicolor. 

 Bhvnosimus ruficollis and viridipennis. Choragus Sheppardi : I found ten specimens 

 of this insect (with Sinodendron) in a much decayed part of an old ash-tree. I was 

 sui-prised at the jumping of the insect, which, apparently, has no pecuhar structm-e 

 fitting it for that habit. I kept a specimen alive, in a pill-box with a glass top, for 

 more than a week : when a gentle tap was given to the box, the insect would leap, 

 but I could not discover how the leap was effected. Barynotus olscurus. Sitophilus 

 oryzce, in the Indian corn used for feeding the pheasants. Pogonocherus pnlosus. 



