86 BRITISH CICADiE. 



Although the hunting spiders will not prey upon 

 Aphides, it is said that they will carry off small Cicadae 

 for food. 



Dr. Sahlberg describes the genus Fhikmm under 

 seven species. Messrs. Douglas and Scott reduced 

 these to four, which number Mr. Edwards also adopts. 

 The chief difficulty in separating these relates to P. 

 campestris and P. Hncatus, for they do not very obviously 

 differ either in colour or in size. The significance of 

 the white costal line, succeeded by a dark one on the 

 elytron, is not a strong specific character ; for the large 

 variety of i^. spumaria=fasciatns of Fab., has this line 

 very pronounced, and so also has the var. leiicocephalus. 



Last summer I received from Mr. Mosley the result 

 of about two hours' sweeping, with a net, of some 

 grasses near Huddersfield. The haul almost entirely 

 consisted of examples of Phikcnus, and the individuals 

 must have numbered more than one thousand. After 

 the separation of the small P. exclamationis, the rest 

 could be readily grouped into four varieties. The 

 remainder, which were principally ochreous-yellow, 

 and had mostly elytra with parallel sides, I referred to 

 P. Imcahis and the rare P. campestris. Whether this 

 last be a distinct species I will not here decide. All 

 the Philceni feed on grasses, and their separate life- 

 histories are in a great measure unknown. The 

 diagnosis of P. campestris is not of that decided 

 character which allows of a sharp separation. 



The following list comprises the most remarkable 

 varieties of Phikcnus spiimarius : — 



Var. 1, popidi, Fab. — Concolorous yellow ; eyes 

 reddish. Length 6*0 mill, or 0'23 inch. 



Var. 2, fasciatns, Fab. — Large. Head and pronotum 

 yellow. Elytra slightly punctate and finely pilose. 

 Yellow, with three rich brown bars occupying the 

 basal, middle, and apical parts. Legs pale. Under- 

 side of the body all black. The males, which breed 

 late in August, are broader in the head, and have rich 



