NATURAL LOCALITIES OF BRITISH COLEOPTERA. 23l 



Honialotie, TrichopteriigidcB, and many others, may be obtained 

 by shaking moss over paper; but it is in winter that moss 

 collecting is most productive ; the shelter that it affords 

 is most attractive to numbers of species, and Halticidce, Curcu- 

 lionidce, CGccinellidce, Carahidcc, and in fact species of almost 

 any genera, may be found, although those above-mentioned are 

 always the most abundant. Moss at the roots of trees is perhaps 

 the best to gather, but Sphagnum in swampy ground will often 

 produce many good species, and in moss otf old walls I have 

 found many scarce insects, such as Cryptophagus puhescens, 

 ScydiiKBmis elungatulus, Homalota atricolor, and others. 



The following species, which have been recorded as taken in 

 or under moss, will show the value of such collecting : — Carabus 

 intricatus (many specimens in moss at roots of trees in Devonshire), 

 Lehia crux-minor, Platyderus ruJicoUis, Stenolophus JiavicolUs, 

 S. dorsalis, Ccenopsis Jisslrostris, Trichonyx Maerkeli, Pselaphus 

 dresdensis, Cephennium intermediuin, Tachyporus formosus (in 

 abundance near Chiselhurst, by Rev. A. Matthews), Tachyporus 

 ohtusus var. nitidicollis (in abundance in Ireland, by Mr. J. J. 

 Walker), Gymnusavariegata, Lathrobium angustatum, Trichopteryx 

 variolosa, T. brevipennis, T. dispar, and many others of the best 

 of the Trichopterygidce. 



In late autumn and winter the bottom layers of the heaps of 

 dry leaves, that accumulate eveiywliere at the bottoms of hedges 

 and in woods, are well worth working. My friend, the late Mr. 

 Garneys, of Repton, was always most enthusiastic about this 

 method of collecting, and certainly owed many of his best 

 captures to it. I remember his telling me that Mrs. Garneys 

 obtained one of the first British specimens of Trichonyx Maerkeli 

 in tliis way. Many good species of the Curcidionidce, especially 

 Apions, may be found at the bottoms of hedges by examining the 

 dead leaves. It is not of much use, however, to search for 

 Trichopterygidce in dry leaves ; they are exceedingly abundant, 

 but w'ill be found in almost all cases to consist of the very 

 commonest species. 



The large coarse tufts of grass that are to be found in almost 

 every field are very productive if cut round with a sharp knife, 

 lifted gently, and then inverted and shaken over paper. This is 

 a very good method of collecting in winter, as it is almost certain 

 to produce something, if all else has failed. Almost any beetle 



