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occurred some half a dozen times on our south coast, and should be 

 taken more frequently, and probably would if diligently sought. The 

 first three need no comment. Our last indigenous species is Aptery- 

 gida albipennis, Meg. This little earwig is common in Central 

 Europe on flowers and shrubs, but was included on the British list for 

 many years only on the strength of a few specimens — two, I believe, 

 taken near Ashford sixty years ago by Professor Westwood. We 

 have since recorded its capture at Norwich by Mr. James Edwards. 

 I feel certain that diligent collecting will turn it up at several other 

 localities, especially in our southern counties. 



In native cockroaches we are still poorer, you may be relieved to 

 hear. We have three indigenous species of Ectobia, of which E. 

 panzeri, Steph., is the most interesting. Common in Europe gener- 

 ally, the southern examples are all pale-coloured ; but in England we 

 have also the variety nigripes, Steph., which, so far as I know, is 

 peculiar. Our other cockroaches are all introduced. The longest 

 established is Blatta orientalis, L., mentioned by Mouffet in the 

 seventeenth century as common in the London cellars, though 

 Gilbert White refers to it as " a strange insect." Periplaneta ameri- 

 cana, L., P. attstralasice, Fabr., appear to have established themselves 

 here, while several others are caught occasionally in the docks and in 

 such markets as Covent Garden. Such are Rhyparobia maderce, 

 Fabr., Leucophtza surinamensis, L., Blabera gigantea, L., and Blabera 

 sp. and Nyctibora holosericea. 



No species of Mantodea or Phasmodea are known to have ever 

 been captured in Great Britain, and it is highly improbable that such 

 conspicuous insects should have been entirely overlooked by genera- 

 tions of collectors. It is, however, in the Acridiodea that we are 

 richest. Our finest native species is Mecostethus grossus, L., once so 

 rare, now known to be numerous in certain fen districts and in the 

 New Forest and the west of Ireland. Six species of Stenobothrus are 

 fairly common. The rarest is S. elegans, Charp., which seems to be 

 very local throughout the Continent. It is very abundant on the 

 sandhills at Deal. In the Hope collection at Oxford is an undoubted 

 specimen of Gomphocerus sibiricus, L., the original specimen said by 

 Stephens to have occurred at Netley ; but as it is an Alpine species, 

 and seldom or never occurs below a level of nearly 4000 feet, it is 

 highly improbable that it should be found on our downs. 



Four species of locust have been taken at one time and another in 

 our country ; but, though one species at least has been taken in some 

 numbers, they never seem to breed here. 



Of these four species, two belong to the subfamily Acridiodea. 

 One, Acridium tegyptium, L., is not a migratory locust, and conse- 

 quently is not known to do much damage, as is the other species. 

 The long list of synonyms include the names, tartaricum, lineola, but 

 it is absolutely wrong to call it CEdipoda. The genus (Edipoda 

 belongs to a different subfamily, to which it gives its name. A. <zgyp- 

 tium is the largest European locust ; it is dull grey in colour and the 



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