NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 97 



After lying for some months in my box I was 

 able to find time to forward it to Mr. Edward Meyrick, F.E.S., who 

 wrote me on November 14th, 1909, stating that it "is an Australian 

 insect {Ocystola cethopis, Meyr.), described by myself in the ' Trans- 

 actions ' of the Eoyal Society of South Australia for 1902, p. 136. I 

 have described about forty species of the genus Ocystola, which 

 belongs to the CEcophoridae, and is exclusively Australian, so far as 

 known. The occurrence of this species is very curious, but it must 

 be undoubtedly due to accidental importation with its food-plant. 

 0. cethopis is found under temperate conditions in Victoria ; its larval 

 habits are unknown, but some closely allied species of the genus are 

 attached to Eucalyptus, the larva feeding on the leaves in a curious 

 and unusual form of portable case, consisting of a short length of 

 woody twig bored down the centre ; it is very probable that 0. atJiopis 

 also feeds on Eucalyptus in the §ame way. You say this specimen 

 came from a correspondent in Devonshire ; in the Devonshire climate 

 the hardier species of Eucalyptus grow well in the open air. Perhaps 

 you will kindly ask your correspondent for particulars of capture, 

 and whether he has any Eucalyptus growing in the neighbourhood, 

 or, failing that, since the hard larval case containing the pupae could 

 easily be imported with anything from x\ustralia, whether he can 

 account for its introduction by any communication coming directly 

 or indirectly thence." As suggested, I wrote to the Eev. Metcalfe, 

 who replied that he believed he took the moth in September, 1908, 

 at Harpford Wood, near Ottery St. Mary, but that so far as he knew 

 there was no Eucalyptus in the neighbourhood. — C. Glanville 

 Clutterbuck, F.E.S., Heathville Eoad, Gloucester, Feb. 3rd, 1910. 



Early Copulation of Notonecta. — I was surprised to find, on 

 January 14th, several pairs of N. glauca var. maculata in cop. in a 

 small pond near Winscombe, Somerset, especially as, though it was 

 very mild, on the previous day the same pond was covered with a 

 thin sheet of ice. — Oscar Whittaker; " Overstrand," Lancaster 

 Eoad, Birkdale, Jan. 17th, 1910. 



Aquatic Hemiptera. — I am working on the Aquatic Hemiptera, 

 and should be greatly indebted to anyone who has any specimens of 

 the following to spare if he would kindly let me have them. I am 

 more especially in want of males, the species I require being A. 

 (Bstivalis, M. scholtzii, M. minutissima, Corixa luguhris, sclccta, limi- 

 tata, venusta, soclalis, caledonica, carinata, germari, cavifrons, bonds- 

 clorffii, and coleoptrata. — Oscar Whittaker. 



x\n Entomological Microscope. — The Zeiss-Greenhough stereo- 

 scopic binocular microscope is the best I know of for entomological 

 purposes. Its great peculiarity is that it is a true binocular, the object 

 viewed being seen with a pair of objectives so arranged that the natural 

 " standing-up " of the object is somewhat increased. This micro- 

 scope is not suited for histological purposes, as its magnification is 

 limited to about 72. A complete equipment consists, in addition to 

 the stand, of four pairs of eye-pieces and four paired objectives, 

 hence sixteen different magnifications are obtained. This is a greater 

 vai'iety than is necessary, and anyone starting may limit himself to 



