NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC 213 



handbook, is not mentioned either in Dr. Sharp's list or in the 

 more recent one by Mr. Francis Pascoe, just published. It ma}'- 

 not have been discovered in Britain prior to the date of Dr. 

 Sharp's, but T see no reason for its being omitted in Mr. 

 Pascoe's, as there can be no doubt of its being a native. I have 

 also met with the following Coleoptera in this neighbourhood 

 during the past summer : — Lissodeina cursor, Agnliis angustulus, 

 Atemeles emarginatm, Lyperm fiavipcs, Melanotus castaneipes, 

 CalUdmni violaceAim, ' Erirhbiiis tortrix, Mantura obtusata, 

 Prionus coriar'ms, and Megacronus cingulatus. On the. whole, 

 however, insects have been scarce this season, more especiaUy 

 the aculeate Hymenoptera and the Ichneumons. — Edward 

 Capron, M.D. ; Shere, Surrey, August 14, 1882. 



Notes on the Life-history of Ph.edon tumidulum, Kirhy. 

 — Wishing to ascertain if Heradeuni Sphondylium was really the 

 food -plant of this beetle, I commenced searching early in the 

 spring in the hope of finding eggs deposited on the plant. In 

 this, however, I was disappointed ; but on the evening of May 

 7 th I came upon a colony of some hundreds of tiny black 

 coleopterous larvae feeding on the under side of the leaves, and 

 from their general resemblance to certain phytophagous larvse 

 with which I am acquainted I concluded they were those of 

 Phcedon. Even here I failed to detect the vestige of an egg, 

 although, judging from what they had eaten, the larvae had been 

 hatched but a very short time. The spot being unlikely to be 

 disturbed, I resolved to leave the little grubs on tlie growing 

 plants until I thought them about full-fed, at which time I secured 

 about a dozen of the largest, and placed them in ajar with food, 

 and a layer of earth at the bottom. Some of them continued 

 feeding, but others burrowed at once, and the first beetle emerged 

 on the 29th of June. Thus it is probable that in their natural 

 state thej^ pass from the egg to the imago in about eight weeks 

 When first discovered tlie young larvie were dull black, but became 

 lighter with each successive moult, until they were of an olive- 

 green, with head, legs, and tubercles (of which there were four on 

 each segment) shining black. When full-fed they descend to the 

 ground, burrow, and change to pupae. These latter are pale 

 yellow at first, but eventually become of anochreous colour, very 

 convex above, head depressed, legs lightly folded against the 

 thorax, and the wings and elytra brought round under the 



