NATURAL LOCALITIES OF BRITISH COLEOPTERA. 151 



beetles are nearly all knocked off before the net reaches them. 

 The best plan is to beat the rushes sharply, and then examine the 

 sand underneath. By doing this I found one or two species I 

 wanted in abundance, last year, at Mablethorpe. The larger 

 species, as Cteniojms, Sitones, and others, and conspicuous 

 Hemiptera, as Therapha, may be picked off with the hand. The 

 brown species of Cicindela are sometimes abundant in such 

 localities. On some large sandhills, as at Tenby, there are a lot 

 of thyme banks in the hollows, and if the roots of these be 

 loosened (especially where the plants ovei'hang the numerous 

 paths) a great number of species will come tumbling out, (falathi, 

 Harpali, and many others. The best beetle I took in this way at 

 Tenby was Harpalus melanchoUcus. 



The sheltered hollows, just away from the sea, produce very 

 good things, as the vegetation there is not nearly so rank, and 

 much more diversified. The sweeping-net can here be used with 

 advantage, and many good Curculionidae, Coccinellidse, Halticidse, 

 &c., may be found. By examining the damp sandy places often 

 found among these hollows Bledii may be obtained in abundance 

 {B. opacus, B. spectahilis, B. tricornis, and others), and sometimes 

 very rare species as Anthicus himaculatiis. The Bledii are bur- 

 rowers, and almost always live in companies, so where one is seen 

 more should be looked for : they may often be found by the little 

 casts they throw up on the sands. 



Moss on sandhills is also worth examining for Staphylinidae, 

 Agathidia, and many of the small genera. 



The sandhills of Deal and the adjacent coast are especially 

 celebrated for good species, notably Lixus hicolor, and also for 

 many species of Hemiptera, as Odontoscelis, Eurygaster niger, 

 Sciocoris, Pseudophlcsus, Chorosoma, and many others. Some 

 very good Lepidoptera, too, occur at the same place. 



The ground underneath plants on the shore and adjacent cliffs 

 should be carefully examined : many of these plants are too large 

 for the sweeping-net, and on being touched every beetle drops at 

 once. On examining the soil at and about the roots, numbers 

 may be found — chiefly Curculionidae. Many beetles live actually 

 at the roots, and may be found by pulling up the plants bodily 

 and shaking the roots over paper. Thus OtiorJtynchus ligustici 

 lives at the roots of Anthyllis vulneraria, Ceuthorhynchus verrucatus 

 at the roots of the yellow horned poppy, and many others have 



