248 Miscellaneous. 



are mucli rounded, the base is very slightly sinuate before the 

 scutellum. Scutellura long and rather narrow. Elytra rather 

 short, with the single sublateral costa scarcely visible, the 

 sutural angle not prolonged, with small round, pale sandy 

 spots scattered over the surface, more closely on the disk; 

 there are four or five slightly larger spots on the margins, one 

 of which is particularly noticeable rather behind the middle ; 

 towards the apex of each elytron is a flexuous mark. The 

 middle of the sternum and the middle of the abdomen are de- 

 nuded, shining; the legs are more or less denuded. The 

 pygidium is densely strigose-punctate, with some pale spots 

 on each side. The anterior tibiae have two not very sharp 

 teeth. 



Ilab. Takow, South Formosa. 



Presented to the British Museum by H. E. Hobson, Esq. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



On the Oviposition of the Ambhjstomes at the Museum of Natural 

 History. By M. L. Vaiixant. 



At the meeting of the Academy of the 27th March, 1876 *, the 

 oviposition of the Amblystomes produced from Axolotls born in 

 the menagerie of the Museum was noticed by Prof. Blanchard. 

 Since that period those animals have been carefully observed, and 

 have given occasion to some observations the results of which, I 

 think, it may be useful to indicate. 



These ova, deposited about the 19th March, have been regularly 

 developed in accordance with the mode already known in the case 

 of the Axolotls. The tadpoles passed the winter in the form of 

 branchifcrous larva? ; and about forty individuals were successfully 

 preserved. In February 1877 (that is to say, at the end of ten 

 months) one of them became converted into an Amblystome. The 

 others were divided into two parts. Some (the first series) were 

 placed in an aquarium full of water and thus kept completely im- 

 mersed ; the others (second series) were placed, on the contrary, 

 in a receiver, in which the level of the liquid never rose above 

 O'OS-O'O-l metro ; a portion of dry ground also enabled the animals 

 to issue from the water with facility. As a term of comparison, 

 other individuals proceeding from a laying of ordinary Axolotls 

 were divided in nearly equal numbers into two corresponding 

 series, and placed in the same conditions. 



The subjoined Table shows the present state of the experiment, 



* Comptes Rendus, tome lxxxii. p. 916 ; < Annals,' May 1876, p. 414. 

 A note on the same subject was also published in the ' Bulletin de la 

 Society Philomathique de Paris/ 6 e serie, tome xi. p. 13. 



