66 MISCELLANEA. 



that I had first to hard rub, and then wash my captures, before 

 mounting them. Even after 48 hours of heavy rain their loads 

 were still intact. They frequent, on hot sunny days, sloping 

 patches of damp muddy sand, sparely covered with herbage, and 

 being nearly of the same colour as the ground, are exceedingly 

 difficult to detect ; for unless the atoms move, you may have several 

 under your eye, and yet be unable to see one. Does not this 

 difficulty of detection, lead to the inference that concealment 

 from its enemies is the end sought to be attained? I think it 

 does. The insect occurred on the banks of the river Irthing, 

 four or five miles west of Gilsland in the early part of June. 

 This locality being so contiguous to our district, will I hope be 

 some excuse for crossing its borders in search of the materials 

 for this note. — Thomas John Bold, Long Benton, July 27, 1857. 



Apion violaceum. — In the early spring of this year, I found at 

 Long Benton, a large stem of the common dock, which had been 

 perforated in a great number of places by an insect. On split- 

 ting it open, I found that the perforator had been the larva of 

 a small Coleopterous insect, the Apion violaceum Linn., which 

 had apparently fed upon the pith of the plant, burrowing in it 

 for six or eight inches, undergoing transformations within ; then 

 gnawing their way outwards, leaving the circular orifices which 

 attracted my attention. I found several individuals, that, after 

 undergoing their last change, had been unable to escape ; per- 

 haps killed by the drying of the stem, which had been severed 

 from the root. — Ibid., October 21, 1857. 



Notes on Transformations of Cionus Scrophularics. — About the 

 14th of July, of this year, Mr. John Thornhill brought me 

 some stems of Scro2')hidaria aquatica, on the tops of which 

 were clustered great numbers of small gummy looking cap- 

 sule shaped cocoons. These, ten days after, produced an 

 abundance of a very beautiful Coleopterous insect, the Cionus 

 Scrophularia^, Linn. The whole of the foliage of the plant had 

 been devoured by the larva, all of whom had changed into pupa 

 but one; this was rather shrivelled, somewhat onisciform, and of 

 a yellowish-green colour. The cocoons were of the size of small 



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