﻿Ixiii 
  

  

  — 
  the 
  last 
  record 
  is 
  marked 
  with 
  a 
  " 
  ? 
  " 
  by 
  Ragonot 
  (MS.) 
  and 
  

   requires 
  confirmation. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Sheldon 
  observed 
  that 
  Rannoch 
  was 
  so 
  well-worked 
  a 
  

   locality 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  surprising 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Lepidoptera 
  

   new 
  to 
  Britain 
  there, 
  and 
  especially 
  one 
  so 
  distinct. 
  He 
  

   knew 
  the 
  exact 
  spot 
  where 
  the 
  specimen 
  was 
  taken. 
  Of 
  its 
  

   reported 
  food-plants 
  on 
  the 
  Continent, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  clump 
  of 
  

   Pojpiilus 
  tremula 
  near 
  by, 
  and 
  also 
  scattered 
  trees 
  of 
  Pyrus 
  

   mains 
  ; 
  the 
  only 
  British 
  Crataegus, 
  C. 
  oxyacantha, 
  does 
  not 
  

   grow 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  neither, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  aware, 
  does 
  

   Prunus 
  s'pinosa 
  or 
  P. 
  domestica, 
  but 
  P. 
  jmdus 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon. 
  

  

  Spines 
  on 
  the 
  Elytra 
  of 
  Tropical 
  Carabidae. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  

   H. 
  E. 
  Andrewes 
  exhibited 
  some 
  tropical 
  Carabidae 
  to 
  show 
  

   spines 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  elytra. 
  The 
  specimens 
  shown 
  were 
  

   Macrocentra 
  quadrisjnnosa, 
  Chaud., 
  from 
  New 
  Guinea; 
  Strick- 
  

   landia 
  nigra, 
  SI., 
  from 
  tropical 
  Australia 
  ; 
  Catasco})us 
  niira- 
  

   bilis, 
  Bates, 
  from 
  Laos 
  ; 
  Catascopus 
  regalis, 
  Schm. 
  Goeb., 
  from 
  

   Assam; 
  Colpodes 
  saphyripennis, 
  Chaud., 
  from 
  Sarawak; 
  

   Cordistes 
  acideatus, 
  Chaud., 
  from 
  the 
  Amazons 
  ; 
  Agra 
  foveigera, 
  

   Chaud., 
  from 
  the 
  Amazons. 
  The 
  spines 
  generally 
  occurred 
  

   as 
  a 
  single 
  pair, 
  but 
  there 
  might 
  be 
  four 
  spines, 
  or 
  even 
  six 
  — 
  

   as 
  in 
  Catascopus 
  mirabilis. 
  The 
  longest 
  spines 
  seemed 
  to 
  occur 
  

   in 
  species 
  whose 
  habitat 
  is 
  near 
  the 
  Equator. 
  

  

  His 
  attention 
  had 
  been 
  specially 
  directed 
  to 
  these 
  spines 
  

   by 
  his 
  friend 
  Mr. 
  Sloane, 
  the 
  authority 
  on 
  Australian 
  Carabidae, 
  

   who 
  had 
  lately 
  sent 
  him 
  the 
  following 
  note 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  Spines 
  of 
  

   elytra. 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  thought 
  of 
  these. 
  Why 
  do 
  they 
  occur 
  

   in 
  tropical 
  genera, 
  not 
  very 
  nearly 
  related, 
  e. 
  g. 
  Colpodes, 
  

   Calophaena, 
  Coptodera, 
  Catascopus, 
  etc. 
  ? 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  remember 
  

   all 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  Australia 
  belong 
  to 
  our 
  geologically 
  recent 
  

   immigrant 
  fauna 
  (I 
  mean 
  in 
  Carabidae), 
  e. 
  g. 
  Stricklandia 
  

   nigra 
  SI., 
  Aristolebia 
  {Sarothrocrepis) 
  mucronata, 
  SL, 
  Colpodes 
  

   violaceus, 
  Chaud. 
  Can 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  wise 
  men 
  of 
  London 
  give 
  

   any 
  explanation 
  ? 
  Or 
  has 
  anyone 
  treated 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  ? 
  

   Likely 
  these 
  spines 
  are 
  protective 
  : 
  if 
  so, 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  against 
  

   birds, 
  but 
  must 
  be 
  against 
  some 
  peculiarly 
  tropical 
  enemy. 
  

   Empirically 
  I 
  have 
  thought 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  against 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  

   lizards 
  that 
  shoot 
  out 
  the 
  tongue 
  to 
  capture 
  their 
  prey. 
  The 
  

   spikes 
  would 
  only 
  protect 
  against 
  some 
  soft 
  instrument 
  of 
  

  

  