( Ix ) 



never been prominent, it hue; iiuvcitheless done good work 

 in keeping alive an interest in entomology (especijilly of a 

 loc'iil niiture) in Italy. 



In my last address I endeavoured to discuss the question 

 of Cryptic Coloration and Mimicry particularly as afiecting 

 the Coleoptera : very little had previously been written with 

 regard to this branch of the subject, the researches having 

 been chiefly confined to the Lepidoptera ; as regards this 

 order the chief argument which had been put forward against 

 the theories of Wallace, Bates, Poulton and others, was that 

 the evidence of systematic attacks by birds and other animals 

 upon Lepidoptera was scanty and untrustworthy. I therefore 

 thought it best to treat at some length of the proofs that 

 Coleoptera formed a large part of the food of many birds, and 

 especially of certain birds of prey which might hardly ha\'e 

 been expected to devour them, and further that certain 

 species were readily eaten, others less readily, while some 

 appeared to be entirely rejected : the natural inference to be 

 drawn from this was that if the Coleoptera were de\oured the 

 l^epidoptera Avere also systematically eaten, but that their 

 remains were, fiom the nature of the case, not detected like 

 those of the chitinous-winged Coleoptera : since my address 

 was published Mr. Guy Marshall and Professor Poulton have 

 published their classical paper in our Transactions, which 

 almost renders it unnecessary to produce any further evidence. 

 I may, however, be allowed to mention a few further facts 

 with regard to Coleoptera eaten by birds which have come 

 under my notice during the past year. Mr. William Evans, of 

 Edinburgh, who has devoted a great deal of time and trouble 

 to this subject, has kindly sent me observations on the follow- 

 ing birds : — Kestrel, Bittern, Water Uail, Dotterel, Curlew, 

 Sanderling, Green Saiulpiper, Turnstone, Uuulin, Redwing, 

 and Starling : the casting of a Kestrel from near Kirknewton, 

 Midlothian, contained lemnants of the following beetles : — 

 Carabus caienidatit-i, Pterostichus niyer and P. strcnims, 

 jUichomenus albipes, Silpha atrata and Cryptohi/pnus riparms: 

 in the stomachs of the other birds examined were found 

 specimens of Carahidiv, Dt/thcida', Ifi/drujihUidic, >Stujj/ii/linuhv, 



