56 ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES, ETC. 



has occurred in plenty near South Shields, where it is found 

 beneath stones, &c., on the sand. Without doubt it had been 

 brought there in the ballast of some foreign-going vessel. 

 Mr. Wailes is of opinion that it had remained there unnoticed 

 for several years ; but I am inclined to think that it had been 

 introduced about the beginning of September, 1856. A little 

 after the middle of that month I found a minute young one, 

 and whilst searching for others, observed some coleopterous 

 insects which had without doubt been recently imported. Thus, 

 amongst the rubbish of the enormous ballast heaps, were found 

 Omosita discoidea, Nitidula Jlexuosa, Dermestes Frischi? Necrohia 

 quadra, and N. riifipes, all frequenters of old skins or bones. A 

 pale blue slag had its cavities filled by hundreds of Alpliitohms 

 picipes, a species that could neither have been bred, nor could 

 exist there, as it feeds on farinaceous substances. Mr. Thorn- 

 hill and myself sought the locality very closely, and I think, 

 that had so large and conspicuous an insect (as this is when full 

 grown) been there then in abundance, we should not have over- 

 looked it. Be this as it may, I noticed them in great numbers, 

 of all sizes, on the 11th of July, 1857. Mr. Wailes found it in 

 even greater numbers on the 22nd of September.* In Novem- 

 ber I again saw it in plenty, and this year (1858) a single in- 

 dividual was found so early as the 19th of April. Should this 

 insect become naturalised and have similar tastes to those of the 

 common Earwig (^Forjicula auricularia), we may easily fancy 

 what havoc it will make amongst the beauties of our gardens, 

 and how its advent will be hailed by our friends the florists !f 



In common with other places we had an autumnal visitation 

 of Locusts (Locusta migratoria Linn), and examples were taken at 

 Longhoughton, Buston, Rothbury, Cullercoats, Sunderland, and 

 Castle Eden. Sirex gigas was captured in a shop in Clayton 

 Street, and brought to me alive. Pemphredon higuhris occurred 



* For detailed descriptions of the insect, in its various stages, see Jlr. Wailes' able paper, 

 " Zoologist," 6,895. 



t Our floral friends need not tremble; thanks to the zeal of science, and other causes, 

 this fine fellow is now (Sept. 16, 1858) all but extinct— one only could I see when last 

 down. Was it the last of Its tribe ? 



