226 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



sub^neus, Schh., Kedt., Ksw. (I. D'. iv. 640). 



aeneus, Oliv. nee Fahr. 



aeralas, Sleph. 

 It may always be known by its concolorous legs and uniform 

 nigio-ieneous appearance. The other common Dasytes is 

 generally known as D. flavipes, Fahr. ; that insect was, how- 

 ever, an Anobium ; hence the present species will have to be 

 called D. plumbeus, Midi. (1776), Ksiv. This insect is very 

 likely to be mixed with D. fnsculus, III., which has also pale 

 tibiae, but is larger and has the antennae entirely black. The 

 male is very elongate and narrow. All these three Dasytes 

 agree in possessing a rugulose or scabrous punctuation and 

 quadrate thorax, forming the sub-genus Hapalogluta, Thorns. 

 Another group of nearly-allied species has been separated as 

 Psilocorse, Thorns. (Sk. Col. vi. 149), having the elytra gene- 

 rally punctate, the thorax transverse and plainly margined at 

 the base. To this belongs D. niger, L., a species very rare 

 in this country, and two others not yet found, viz., D. obscu- 

 rus, Gyll.^ distinguished by its bluish tint, and D. borealis, 

 Thorns., which resembles the preceding section in having the 

 elytra scabrous. I have seen two examples captured in the 

 New Forest (both females), which must be very close to this 

 species, 'i'iiey have the elytra scabrous without any punc- 

 tuation, and the thorax decidedly transverse, but are a little 

 smaller than the D. borealis should be. — G. R. Crotch ; 

 University Library, Cambridge. 



150. Spiders preyivg upon Earwigs. — The great pro- 

 fusion of earwigs which infested my garden during last 

 summer, skulking in the flower-buds or in contorted cur- 

 rant leaves, led me to devise various "methods of reducing 

 their numbers. Amongst other means, less straightibrward 

 perhaps than crushing them whenever seen, I used to place 

 them in the webs of the common garden spider, towards 

 which much-abused creature 1 have for a long time enter- 

 tained a friendly feeling. I was doubtful though, at first, 

 whether this aliment would be pleasing to a spider's appe- 

 tite, as I had rarely seen these insects made captives. Only 

 two spiders, however, rejected my gifts ; a luimber of othex's 

 1 supplied, for several weeks, with an earwig once or twice a 

 day, removing the insects from their retreats with a pair of 

 forceps. Of the two recusants, one did accept earwigs. 



