THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 353 



gathered these larvae in May, in a field of four acres and a 

 half, and think the damage done to the crop will be at least 

 £15 or £IG. The male came out a few days since, the 

 female to-day. Could you suggest any remedy for them ? — 

 W. Lister ; Glaisdale, Aiignat 19, 1867. 



[The insects are certainly Tipula oleracea : the destructive 

 power of these larvae in parks and other grass-lands is very 

 familiar to Entomologists, but this is the first time I have 

 been made acquainted with their doing such serious injury 

 to oats : it would be interesting to learn some particulars as 

 to the treatment of rooks and starlings in the neighbourhood 

 of Glaisdale, as I have never known this Tipula to exercise 

 any serious injury to the crops where these two species of 

 birds have not been persecuted almost to extermination. — 

 Edward Newman.] 



Captures near Reigate. — I have taken during the summer 

 specimens of Thecla Rubi, Lycana Argiolus, Procris Statices 

 and P. Globularia3, also a few Euclidia Mi. — W. S. De 

 Mattos; Brakes Lodge, Reigate, Surrey, September 19. 



A Timher-horing Insect in Australia. — A new and extra- 

 ordinary insect plague is mentioned in the ' Wood's Point 

 Leader.' It says that a small species of beetle, of a most 

 peculiar construction, arrived in myriads at the Alpine 

 Brewery a few days before, and set to work riddling the beer- 

 barrels. The proboscis forms an excellent gimlet, with which 

 the little insect penetrates the hardest wood in an incredibly 

 short time, while the hinder portion is shaped like a shovel, 

 and is employed in getting rid of the sawdust. They make 

 clean holes through the staves, and some of the full barrels 

 are leaking in fifty places. In a wine-cellar thousands bur- 

 row into the wine and spirit casks. As soon as they get 

 nearly through the wood the liquor begins to ooze out, and 

 the animal of course gets killed. Every description of box 

 or barrel is full of them, also the doors and timber in the 

 building. Almost every store in the township is infested 

 with these mischievous insects. The head is red, with a pro- 

 boscis somewhat resembling a parrot's bill ; and the body is 

 like a small black glass bugle broken off at the end ; the 

 whole length one-quarter of an inch. 



[Doubtless a member of the family Bostricidao, perhaps 

 a true Boslrichus. A correspondent asks the name, but 



