A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE 



Sest'a sphegiformis, Dicycla oo., Dasycampa rubiginea and Acronycta aim \ 

 of the latter species about twenty larva; have been beaten out of oaks, 

 on the edge of a single wood in one afternoon. These heath lands, 

 moreover, abound in good beetles, the ant's-nests species being particularly 

 noteworthy, and the Hymenoptera are well worthy of attention. 



Throughout the lists the species that are common and generally 

 distributed are marked with an asterisk ; whereas those which have 

 occurred in several localities at some distance from one another, but are 

 not, in the present state of our knowledge, general, are marked with a 

 dagger ("f") ; it has been found necessary to adopt these signs through the 

 exigencies of space. Many species are common or generally distributed 

 on particular plants or trees only, but these can be learned from any 

 manual of entomology. The abbreviation Well. Coll. has been used 

 for Wellington College. 



In the case of the Lepidoptera, and, as a rule, in the other orders 

 where no name is attached to a locality, the species has been taken 

 either by Mr. Holland or Mr. Hamm. In the list the nomenclature 

 follows the undermentioned authorities : Lepidoptera, Entom. Syn. List., 

 South. Coleoptera, Fowler's Coleoptera of the British Islands, Sharp and 

 Fowler's Catalogue 1903. Aculeate Hymenoptera, Saunders's Aculeate 

 Hymenoptera of the British Islands. Hemiptera, Saunders and Edwards, 

 'The Hemiptera Heteroptera and The Hemiptera Homoptera of the British 

 Islands. 



ORTHOPTERA 1 



Records of the occurrence of Orthoptera in Berkshire are not numerous. The chief cause of 

 this, no doubt, is that workers in the order have been so few, although, excepting the Aptera, 

 this would seem to be the most ancient group of insects and therefore should not be the least 

 interesting. Probably, however, even if the distribution of the Orthoptera in Berkshire were 

 well known we should find this county is not so prolific as many others owing to the large pro- 

 portion of the land under cultivation and to the necessary absence of a coast fauna. 



FORFICULODEA. The Common Earwig (Forficula auricularia) is very common throughout 

 the county. The Little Earwig (Labia minor) has been taken by Mr. Holland at Tubney 

 and is not uncommon. There are two records of the less known Russet Earwig (Forficula 

 lesnef) a male at Wallingford, September 1892 (Donisthorpe), and a specimen at Bradfield 

 College near Reading (Chitty). Afterygida media should be sought for. 



BLATTODEA (Cockroaches). The indigenous species (Ectobia lapponica)has been taken by 

 Mr. Holland in most of the woods in the county. Two established aliens, Pbyllodromia 

 germanica and Blatta orientalis, the " Black Beetle," are recorded, the latter being a very 

 common pest. One or two other aliens will probably be recorded and possibly the British 

 species Ectobia livida. 



ACRIDIODEA. Of the short-horned grasshoppers, though the records are few, a good num- 

 ber of species are present. Stenobothrus lineatus (rarely), St. viridulus, and St. rufipes are given 

 in the ' Flora and Fauna ' as present near Radley College (Burr). St. bicolor is recorded from 

 Chilswell Hill (Lucas), Crookham Common near Newbury (Morley), Wellington College and 

 Tubney (Hamm), Bradfield College (Chitty), and near Radley College (Burr) ; St. elegans 

 from Crookham Common (Morley) ; and St. parallelus from Wantage (Holland), near Radley 

 College (Burr), Chilswell Hill (Lucas), and Crookham Common (Morley). Of the club- 

 horned Acridians Gompbocerus rufus is present (Hamm), while the commoner G. maculatus has 

 been recorded from Tubney (Hamm) and Bessels Leigh (Burr), lettix bipunctatus occurs at 

 Radley (Burr), and at Wantage and Tubney (Holland). Burr says that the other species, 

 T. subulatus, also occurs, though not commonly, at Radley : this I usually look upon as a very 



i By W. J. Lucas, B.A. 

 72 



