The Zoologist — March, 1870. 2071 



Mr. Jauson, on behalf of Mr. G. K. Crotch, exhibited Philonthus cicatri- 

 cosus [Erichson), a species new to this country ; and Dyschirius angustatus, 

 Hydroporus unistriatus, and H. minutissimus, all recently added to the British 

 list. The three first-named were captured by Mr. Moncreaff at Portsea; 

 Hydroporus unistriatus had also been taken by Mr. Crotch at Merton, Norfolk ; 

 and Hydroporus minutissimus was taken by Mr. Wollaston at Slapton Ley. 



Major Parry exhibited a North American beetle of somewhat doubtful 

 affinities, the Ochodteus obscurus of Leconte (Journ. Ac. Philad. 1848, p. 86), 

 which name was afterwards changed by the author to Nicazus obscurus (Classif. 

 Coleop. N. Amer. 1861, p. 130). On his recent visit to this country, 

 Dr. Leconte presented Major Parry with a specimen of this insect, intimating 

 that he was not satisfied as to the position he had assigned to Nicazus, namely 

 among the Scarabseoidea, between Acantliocerus and Trox, and suggesting that 

 it might possibly be better placed among the Lucanoidea. The specimen has 

 been carefiilly examined by Major Pany and Mr. Charles Waterhouse, but as 

 regarded the principal character of the antennas of the Lucanoidea, the immove- 

 ability of the leaflets of the clava, it was found that in Nicazus the leaflets were 

 slightly moveable : in this respect, however, Mr. Waterhouse found it to agree 

 with some Australian species of Ceratognathus, and in examining the mouth he 

 could not detect anything by which it could be separated from the Lucanoidea, 

 whilst the penicillate maxiUse were alone sufficient to separate it from the 

 Trogidse. 



The Secretary read the following extract from a letter from Mr. Eoland 

 Trimen, dated Cape Town, December 2, 1869, respecting the habits of some 

 species of Paussidae : — 



"I have found a specimen of Paussus Burmeisteri, Westw.,\xi a singular 

 situation. Descending the Lion's Head mountain, close to the town, I observed 

 a small beetle resting at the extremity of a leaf of the common sugar-bush 

 [Protea mellifera), and a slight motion of its antennae at once discovered it to 

 be a Paussus. It seemed to be basking in the full sunshine ; the hour being 

 about 1.30 p. M. On attempting to take it Avitli my fingers, the beetle instantly 

 dropped on the ground ; and I had to search for some minutes before I dis- 

 covered it among the debris beneath the bush. The plant of P. mellifera was 

 a low one, with several fully-opened flowers. Another of the Paussidae, the 

 Pentaplatarthrus paussoides of Westwood, I have met with lately not unfre- 

 quently, and a good many specimens have also been taken by Mr. Alfred C. 

 Harrison, who discovered the first example known to me as inhabiting this 

 neighbourhood. This beetle lives in the nests of a moderate-sized black ant, 

 under stones, and is usually conspicuous from its superior stature and shining 

 reddish brown colourmg. Those that I have seen were either motionless or 

 walking slowly among the excited ants along one of the galleries ; and I could 

 not see that the ants, when disturbed by the removal of the stone roof of their 



