CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 205 



sources whence the insects may have come to Birmingham — either 

 from some warehouse in London, in many localities of which city the 

 insect is well established, or by direct importation from the Continent. 

 The fact that P. ;/eniumica, unlike Stylopyfja (BlatUi) orientalis, attains 

 its full development in three or four months, and that one of the 

 specimens taken was immature, seems to point to a probability that 

 they were British " born and bred," for the goods did not come direct 

 from Germany, and moreover had been lying for nearly fourteen days 

 in Birmingham before I observed the insect. As is well known, this 

 species is practically cosmopolitan, but its true home seems to be the 

 northern and more central portions of the Palaearctic region. Sharp, 

 quoting Brunner, says that it has been found in increasing numbers 

 in Vienna, where it is displacing orientalis ; but Miall (' The Cock- 

 roach,' p. 19) mentions that on the whole the latter species is dominant 

 not only over <jermanica, but over the much larger Blatta aiiiericana as 

 well. In this country the insect has established itself in a few localities 

 only, mainly in the south-eastern counties. Burr (' British Orthoptera,' 

 p. 24) gives London, Hastings, Folkestone, Aldershot, Bradford, and 

 Bognor ; while Miall {lav. cit.) also mentions Leeds. The egg-capsule 

 has been described and figured by Riley ('Insect Life,' vol. ii. U. S. 

 Agr. Dept.), as well as by Brunner, and therefore does not need any 

 further description. I may add that Mr. W. J. Lucas has been kind 

 enough to examine one of my specimens. — A. D. Imms ; " Linthurst," 

 Oxford Road, Moseley, near Birmingham. 



CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 



IsoHNURA PUMiLto IN THK New Forest. — On May 27th and 28th 

 this interestiug little dragonfly was beginning to appear in the Mew Forest, 

 and after lengthy search a few specimens were secured. From some 

 points noticed while on the watch for the species, it may possibly be found 

 that they breed in wet boggy ground rather than actually in water, as seems 

 to be the case with Orthetnim ccBrulescens. — W. J. Lucas ; June 6th, 1901. 



Hesperia svj^vanus. — I have recently read in ' Butterfly and Moth 

 Collecting ' (by G. E. Simras) that this species is very partial to "yellow 

 gorse." I should like to know if this has been generally noticed, as I have 

 never seen the species on that plant, but invariably in or near woods, on 

 brambles and bracken. — A. Marshall; Cranbrook, Kent, May 29th, 1901. 



Smerinthus ocellatus. — A splendid specimen was captured last week, 

 in a garden here, on a cabbage-plant. — A. Marshall ; Cranbrook, Kent, 

 May 29th, 1901. 



Entomological Notes for May, 1901. — From May 1st till the 15th 

 Lycana aryiolus was very plentiful here, and in splendid condition. On May 

 13th and 14th a number of Vanessa polychloros larvae emerged from the 

 ova obtained during the latter part of April. On May 14th I took several 

 specimens of Thecla ruhi from an elder-flower. There were many elders 

 about, and many flowers on this one shrub, but T. ruhi seemed to prefer 

 this particular blossom; I captured three specimens within two minutes, 



ENTOM. — JULY, 1901. B 



