48 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



only species which has the last joint impressed: this and 

 other characters render it not difficult* to recognize. I had, 

 however, been led into error by M. de Marseiil, who con- 

 sidered the Scotch examples I showed him to be referable to 

 that species. Mr, Rye first pointed out (Ent. Mo. Mag. ii. 

 51) that the description of T. assimilis did not accord with 

 the insect in question. I have since had more specimens, 

 and an attentive examination convinces me that they must 

 be referred to T. figuratiis, MuTuth., which may then be thus 

 defined: — "Black; head in front, tibia?, tarsi, elytra and 

 thorax testaceous, the latter with a large discoidal spot 

 black." Its very dark antennae and black scutelltnii are good 

 guides to it, for the scutellum of T. rufns is rarely dark, 

 even in the most suffused varieties. The male antennae, 

 moreover, differ considerably. It results therefore that T. 

 assimilis, Pk., has yet to be found in Britain : it is a larger 

 and darker species : the sexes generally differ considerably 

 in colouring. The specimens 1 originally referred to figu- 

 ratus are somewhat of a puzzle : they clearly are not iden- 

 tical with the Scotch species, but I am unable to find any- 

 thing at present with which they do agree : the discovery of 

 more specimens may perhaps facilitate their identification. 



G. R. Crotch. 

 University Library, Cambridge, 

 March, 1866. 



Life-hintory of Trichiura CratcBgi. — The eggs are laid in 

 September, on the bark of Crataegus Oxyacantha (while- 

 thorn), Prunus spinosus (blackthorn), and other dwarf shrubby 

 trees ; their shape is that of a long square with rounded 

 corners and a much depressed disk ; they are deposited in 

 rows ranged breadthwise and closely approximate ; they are 

 often partially covered with down from the body of the 

 mother, but this is not very apparent; the eggs are so 

 arranged that the heads of the larvae are always in one 

 direction, and the larvae invariably emerge from one end of 

 the egg : the emergence does not take place until the spring, 

 when the young larvae, after spinning a web over portions of 

 the food-plant for general accommodation, live together in 



