THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



No. 16.] JULY, MDCCCLXV. [Price 6d. 



Modern Captures of Rare Coleopterous Insects. 

 By Frederick Smith, Esq. 



The capture of a rare Coleopteron naturally induces me 

 to refer to the last-published list of reputed " British species 

 requiring farther evidence to prove that they ai'e really of 

 indij^enous origin." I have observed, in more than one in- 

 stance, that all the proof really required is a certainty of 

 their modern capture, that of course being in some situation 

 not a]5parently likely to be resorted to by a foreign immigrant. 

 Now, 1 myself have a proneness to be quite as well satisfied, 

 with such a note as the following: — " 1 have hitherto seen 

 but six specimens (of Lebia turcica) taken in Oakhan)pton 

 Park, Somersetshire." Any person who was intimately 

 acquainted with the late J. F. Stephens knows, in the first 

 place, that he was a most scrupulous inquirer into localities, 

 and would not have appended such a note had he not been 

 fully assured of the capture ; neither would he have told us 

 that he v>as indebted to Dr. Leach "for a fine series of spe- 

 cimens (of Diachromus germanus) taken at Kingsbridge by 

 the late Mr. Cranch, in June, 1816." The two foregoing 

 notes are, to me, as good evidence as I could possibly obtain 

 in the present day ; therefore I would remove both these 

 British species at once from the "reputed" list. Lebia 

 haemorrhuidalis, having been quite recently captured, is, I 

 presume, entitled to be ranked as a true Britisher. In the 

 "reputed" list I also find Apate capucina : Mr. Stephens 

 says, " Three specimens only, I believe, have hitherto been 

 found in England ; the first taken many years since in Lon- 

 dtm ; a second in Derbyshire ; and a third on the coast of 

 Norfolk, near Cromer." In addition to this I may add, of my 

 own knowledge, that, some years ago, I was engaged by the 

 late Rev. F. W. Hope to arrange his Hymenoptera, and had 

 directions to search in every box iu his store-room, which 



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