20 



amount of life which two or three sharp raps with a stick will dis- 

 lodge from a single branch of oak. The most effective way to beat 

 is not to thrash away indiscriminately at the leaves, but to strike 

 the branch itself sharply once or twice, holding the umbrella close 

 up under it, then immediately to bring the umbrella down on to the 

 ground and commence operations. Turn the umbrella so as to keep 

 the sunshine out of it, as otherwise the bugs will take flight. An 

 " umbrellaful " towards the end of June will probably consist of many 

 species, but by far the largest number of specimens will belong to the 

 genus Psallus, of which P. varians and P. variabilis are the most 

 abundant. So soon as a desired specimen is seen in the umbrella the 

 tube of the bottle should be placed over it or just below it, so as to 

 touch its hind tarsi, when, as a rule, it will at once fall backwards down 

 the tube. 



It would be impossible to give a list of all the species to be found 

 on each kind of tree, but I may mention that one of the rarities to 

 be looked for on oak is Psallus albicinctus, a small reddish species 

 with darker atoms on the thorax, closely resembling a small dark P. 

 varians ; also that specimens of Orthotylus from this tree should 

 be carefully examined, as there are four or five species which 

 cannot possibly be identified in the umbrella. Ash gives a few 

 specialities, such as Loxops coccinens and Psallus lepidus in both its 

 forms. These at first sight look quite distinct, but the best authori- 

 ties consider them as forms of one species. Hazel is fairly produc- 

 tive, and from it may be beaten the lovely Malacocoris chlorizans, as 

 well as Pantilius and Nabis brevipennis, Phylus, Psallus salicellus, 

 &c. Willows, sallows, and alders, in July and August, produce many 

 species, and are always worth beating. Calocoris striatus, Plesiocoris 

 rugicollis, Lygus limbatus (hitherto only known as British from speci- 

 mens taken off sallow on Wimbledon Common), Pilophorus clavatus, 

 Plagiouathus roseri, P. bohemanni, Psallus fallenii, P. alnicola, P. 

 sanguineus, the rare /'. albicinctus, and several species of Orthotylus, 

 are all to be found on these plants ; and besides these there are yet 

 several species found on the Continent which are quite likely to occur 

 with us, such as Orthotylus virens, Psallus intermedins, P. cethiops, P. 

 scholtzi, and Cyphodema rubicunda. A few species occur on poplar, 

 especially on Populus alba, such as Phytocoris populi, Psallus rotter- 

 mundi, &c. Fir trees in our islands seem to possess few species com- 

 pared to the numbers which frequent them on the Continent. Still 

 there are a good many to be found, and I always beat firs in hope that 

 some of these Continental species may ) et turn up. Such species as 

 Phytocoris intricatus, Hadrodcma nigriceps, Allivotomus gothicus, and 

 Phylus limitatus are all quite possibilities. Spruce firs yield the best 

 results, but several interesting species — such as Atractotomus magni- 

 cornis, Pilophorus cinnamopterus, Elatophilus nigricornis, and Plesio- 

 dema pinetellum — occur on Scotch firs, the latter two so far having 

 only been found with us in Scotland. 



When we descend to low-growing plants the field is very extensive, 



