278 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



productions resembling acorns, but entirely without the 

 germinating and reproductive power of these familiar objects. 

 To produce an acorn has been the intention of the oak, but 

 the gall-fly has frustrated the attempt. Instead of sending 

 this trifle to either of the more learned and technical 

 journals, I have preferred submitting it to the more practical 

 readers of the ^Entomologist,' feeling sure that it cannot 

 there escape that searching investigation which ever tends to 

 the evolution of truth. 



Edward Newman. 



Notes on some Insects of Italy and of South France^ 

 observed between the middle of May and the middle of 

 July, 1872. By Francis Walker, Esq. 



(Contiuued from p. 230.) 



Avignon. — Coleoptera: Anthaxia cyanicornis, Cetonia 

 stictica, C. hirtella, Chrysomela Tremulae. Diptera: Tipula 

 gigantea. Hymenoptera: Xylocopa violacea. 



In these notes the more minute and less-observed species 

 will follow those which are generally known. Cetonia stictica 

 and C. hirtella appear to be distributed throughout South 

 Europe, and therefore need not be mentioned again : the 

 former is much more abundant than the latter. Only one 

 specimen of the beautiful Buprestid, A. cyanicornis, was 

 seen. X. violacea is too frequent in the Mediterranean 

 region to require a second notice. 



Marseilles. — Coleoptera : Lachnaea tripunctata, Coccinella 

 7-punctata. Orthoptera: Gryllotalpa vulgaris. 



C. 7-punctata occurred in great swarms about the harbour 

 here, like it may be occasionally seen on the sea-coast in 

 England, shortly after it has assumed the beetle state. It was 

 seen here and there on Mount Vesuvius; it has been found 

 in plenty on Mount Sinai and Mount Lebanon; it is spread 

 over most of North Asia; and other gregarious species of 

 insects are likewise very widely distributed. 



Genoa. — Coleoptera : Dasytes hirtus, Crioceris merdigera, 

 Lachnaea tripunctata, Coptocephala scopolina, Pachybrachys 

 hieroglyphica, Timarcha coriaria, Chrysomela Banksii, C. 

 intricata, Coccinella 22-punctata. Hemiptera : Eurygaster 

 Hottentotta. 



