1868.] 189 



I may observe that a specimen of Mr. Morley's insect was, soon after its capture 

 in Feb., 1866, sent by a friend of his to Mr. G. E. Crotch for determination ; bnt 

 that gentleman, not being able to make it accord with hicolor, its evident ally, sent 

 it to Mr. Janson (whose knowledge of the wood-feeders is unequalled in this country) 

 for further examination. Mr. Janson now informs me that he has been too much 

 occupied to give the insect his critical attention, and leaves the matter in my 

 hands.— E. C. Rye, 7, Park Field, Putney, S.W., 10th December, 1867. 



Note on Tondcus flavus, WilMn, Wat. Cat. — When examining the Stephensian 

 exponents of T. fuscus above alluded to, I noticed that the solitary example of this 

 species (which is queried in Wat. Cat.) in Stephens' Cabinet is a large immature 

 specimen of T. dryograpJius, Er., already included in our hst. — Id. 



Note on Myllcena minima, Ktz., a species new to our lists. — I have long doubted 

 whether the exponent of M. infuscata in my cabinet was really attributable to that 

 species ; and now find, through the kindness of the Rev. A. Matthews, who has 

 given me a specimen of the true infuscata, taken (very rarely) in Oxfordshire by 

 him, that my insect is the minima of Kraatz (Ins. Deutschl., ii., 371). It is con- 

 siderably narrower than M. infuscata, more uniformly coloured, with more slender 

 antennae (which with the legs are yellowish), and shorter elytra. — Id. 



Note on the earlier stages of Cryptocephahis. — In the concluding livraison of 

 Vol. iv. of " L'Abeille," M. Gabriel Tappes, of 25, Rue Blanche, Paris (who is 

 collecting material for a work on the Cryptocephalidce, and desires notes, &c., 

 however trivial, relating to any of the species comprised in that family) makes, 

 among others, the following interesting observations : — 



" No Entomologist of the present day is unaware " (?) " that the females of all 

 the species of Cryptocephalus have on the last segments of the abdomen a small 

 cavity, almost oval in outline. The males, also, have very frequently a depression 

 in the same place, but never so deep or of the same form as in the other sex. 

 This cavity has (like every work of the Creator) a special object, which a recent 

 observation of M. Eouget has discovered. 



" Ihe Cryptocephali, like the Clythrce, hahitnallj envelop their eggs in their 

 excrement, or at least in a secretion of the organ that produces it. It would seem 

 that this operation is so necessary for the development of the larvse, that those 

 which by chance are deprived of their protecting covering waste and die ia a few 

 days time. For this enveloping operation the female necessarily uses it posterior 

 legs only, and the egg would thus roll in all directions if it were not confined in 

 some way. Here, then, the cavity comes into play. The female places it over 

 the egg, which is thus as it were boxed in and immovable, and she can then work 

 entirely at her ease in giving to its envelope, composed of little layers, those 

 different and elaborated shapes which make it resemble certain buds or dried 

 catkins. 



" Thus, then, we have the egg protected by its envelope against all external 

 attacks. The little larva which hatches from it is at first too soft to come out and 

 search for food beyond its prison. In my opinion, it begins by feeding on its 



