646 The Zoologist — March, 1867. 



which Mr. Pascoe pointed out some fine Longicorns, a form resembling the Australian 

 Hesthesis, Plectrura, Purpuricenus, Exops, &c. 



Mr. C. A. Wilson, of Adelaide, South Australia, communicated the following notes 

 on Cerapterus Macleayii and Calosoma Curtisii: — 



" Cerapterus Macleayii. — Of the genus Cerapterus we have three species in this 

 colony, C. Wilsoni, C. Macleayii and C. Hopei. The first of these is much the most 

 rare, and from twice to three times the size of the others. Some years ago C. Mac- 

 leayii was found frequently between the town (Adelaide) and the sea, at about two 

 miles from the former and five from the latter, and always under dry cow-dung: after 

 this, on Hearing the sea, or rather gulf (St. Vincent), it gave place to C. Hopei. It 

 has also been taken around Gawler under the same circumstances, that is, on land 

 never yet turned up, where cattle, horses, &c, have Ion;; grazed, and under cow-dung 

 of a particular age or state of dryness — dropped some days, but before all moisture had 

 gone from it. Specimens of this beetle have, however, become scarce in all the former 

 spots, on account of the traffic and disturbance of their places of rest ; but on the 17th 

 of November, 1866, I searched a large untitled paddock of about 134 acres, west of 

 Adelaide, where cattle had grazed for some years, and obtained seven specimens of 

 this Cerapterus; this was one specimeu to about thirty or forty of their domiciles that 

 I turned over, and all were found alone. I am not aware of any account of the habits 

 of these Paussidee having been published. There is a note in the Addenda to West- 

 wood's 'Modern Classification,' stating that Mr. Macleay's brother had found an 

 Australian species of Cerapterus residing in ants' nests: it is not said what kind of 

 ant, the white (Termes) or the common (Formica) : I suppose the former ; if otherwise, 

 the circumstance is quite unknown to me. Should the habits of the Cerapterus (of 

 N. S. Wales?) be the same as here, I fancy this remark is an error from cursory 

 observation. I think the Cerapteri only use their dry coverings as places of shelter, 

 though how they come there and why first found there I confess I cannot tell. 

 Perhaps they fly at night and hide in the day. I observed on this and former 

 occasions the following facts ; the white ants are in these plains found nowhere but 

 under drying cow-dung, still hundreds of pieces in the most favourable conditions are 

 without them. In the present case four of the pieces under which the Cerapteri were 

 found had white ants under them, and three had not. Each of the beetles was lying 

 under his canopy in a small depression of the ground, or with the earth slightly raised 

 round him, and was always perfectly still: where there were ants they appeared to 

 have no connexion with the beetle or in any way to disturb him or be aware of his 

 presence, though running about when the coverings were raised. I also observed that 

 where no ants were with the other Cerapteri there evidently never had been any. 

 Nearly all these seven specimens on being disturbed or lifted by me crepitated several 

 limes, some as many as three times, before immersion in the methylated spirit I had 

 with me, at the same time discharging from some part of the body a yellow fluid, 

 which stained the abdomen and last pair of legs, but disappeared on immersion in the 

 Epirit. 



" Calosoma Curtisii. — To obtain this species of Carabidae I had to go three miles 

 nearer to the gulf, to a place called the Reed Beds, a large tract of land several miles 

 square, extending in some parts nearly to the gulf, and obtaining its name from several 

 acres of reeds still growing at its furthest extremity. I have before given some remarks 



