66 Proceedings of the Boyal Physical Society. 



and wood chips, the pupation stage is passed. The imago 

 for emergence bores a circular exit-hole through bed- cover 

 and bark. Young pines from four to eight years of age are 

 the favourite breeding-places, but pines in the " pole-stage " 

 are also frequented. 



Many years ago, Hartig and Eatzeburg, in Grermany, found 

 the larvae of a Pissodes in pine cones. Eatzeburg took for 

 granted that the grubs were those of notatus, and this opinion 

 was repeated in the books.^ Later, Eedtenbacher, after 

 examination of the imago, chiefly because of a slight differ- 

 ence in the shape of the posterior corners of the prothorax 

 in his specimens as compared with notatus, named the species 

 that bred in cones Pissodes strohili. 



This Pissodes strohili is synonymous with Pissodes validi- 

 7vstris, a name given by Gyllenhal, who described the species 

 breeding in cones, in Schonherr's work " Ueber Eiisselkafer." 



While working with Professor Pauly in Munich, I care- 

 fully compared the specimens named Pissodes /wtattcs and 

 Pissodes vcdidirostris respectively, in the Munich collections, 

 without satisfactory proof of their difference. Again, during 

 a short stay in Tharand, Saxony, through the kindness of 

 Professor Nitsche, I had opportunity to compare the speci- 

 mens of both beetles, and still without satisfaction. 



How much alike notcUus and the so-called validirostris are, 

 will be seen if I bring together in parallel columns the stated 

 points of difference. 



P. notatus. P. validirostris. 



Larger. Smaller and of slighter build. 



Posterior corners of prothorax Posterior corners of prothorax 



acute-angled. right-angled. 



The hinder edges of the pro- The hinder edges of the pro- 

 thorax show sinuous excava- thorax only slightly sinuous 



tions. 



Elytra flatter, 



Longitudinal rows of dots on Longitudinal rows of dots on 

 elytra, larger. elytra, finer. 



More white spots along the 

 suture. 

 ^ E.g., " Der Forstschutz," by Professor R. Hess, p. 240. 



