168 Mr. G. C. Champion on 



was frequently taken on the wing, or found on grass- 

 stems ; and Gerocoma scJireheri was locally common on 

 flowers. In an oak wood on the dry slopes near San Gil, 

 in which there were many small flowering plants, a number 

 of interesting insects were captured, especially towards 

 evening, as Coro?lrus faseiahcs (rarely, on oak, and also 

 found in an ants' nest under a stone), Anthaxia hungarica 

 and others of the genus, Scrica mntata, Lagria rubida (in 

 abundance, but apparently all males), a fine Fachytychius 

 (P. sparsutus) on Cytisiis ivehvitscM, P. scahricollis, Smi- 

 cronyx, Orchestes, Cryptoccplialus glolieollis, etc., Pachy- 

 hrachys, various Olythrids, etc. On the slopes between 

 this wood and the river a species of the remarkable 

 Neuropterous genus Nemoptcra flew freely towards even- 

 ing. The river itself, or a small affluent of it, produced 

 many Hydradephaga, as Bidessus minutissimus, Dcroncctcs 

 carinatus, I), bicostatics, Hydroporus flavipes, H. hilincatus, 

 H. Iqndtos, Agabus Jicydcni, A. Irunneus, A. didyvuts, A. 

 IJaludosus, etc., also Gyrinus urinator, Orcctocliilws, and 

 various Iiydrophilida\ On the walls of tlie town, as 

 already recorded,* we noticed various galls on the stems 

 of a species of Cotyledon, a plant growing very commonly 

 in such situations, and these were found to contain speci- 

 mens of jVanoj'thyes dnriexi in all its stages, a species not 

 mentioned by Dr. Seidlitz in his list of Bejar insects, and 

 originally described from Algeria. 



Leaving Bejar on July 17th, we went on by the dili- 

 gence to Piedrahita, about five hours' journey, in the heat 

 of the day, where we remained till the 23rd, our road 

 beyond the " puerto " being fairly level and extending 

 through a somewhat arid country, where the ground was 

 everywhere cultivated, even between the very old scattered 

 olive-like, evergreen oaks (? Qucrrus gramuntia) to be 

 seen in many places, the river Tonnes being crossed by 

 an ancient bridge at about lialf-way. At Piedrahita the 

 best collecting- ground was the slope and summit of the 

 adjacent Sierra, about 5500 feet elevation, which runs 

 parallel with the Gredos, and is separated from it by large 

 elevated tracts and valleys, affording extensive pasturage 

 for cattle in the summer months. Cytisus purgans grew 

 in abundance in these places (the old stems apparently 

 being in much demand for fuel), extending down the 

 slopes for about five hundred feet. Below this again was 

 * Traus. Ent. Soc. Loiul. 1903, pp. 87-'Jl. 



