180 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



if any of the members would exchange specimens of seaweed 

 zoophytes and polyzoa. I have a collection of some Australian 

 species, and am most anxious to add to it. I have many 

 duplicates of British, South African, and other algae and zoophytes. 

 I prefer them unpressed, merely dried, as they come out so well 

 in sea-water. A small box by ship would, perhaps, be the 

 easiest way of transmission, and I should only be too glad to pay 

 the freight. — Yours sincerely, 



(MISS) E. E. GORE. 

 26 Brunswick -square, Brighton, Sussex, England, 

 nth October, 1888. 



To the Editor of the Victorian Naturalist. 

 Dear Sir, — I wish to bring under the notice of the members of 

 the Field Naturalists' Club the effect of methylated spirits of wine 

 on " smooth " Carabs if they are left a long time in it. The 

 result of a lengthened immersion in methylated spirits is to bring 

 out rows of faint punctures on the elytra of at least some species 

 of the group Ca?-etiides, which are naturally quite smooth. I am 

 now sending specimens of Euryscaphus arenarius, Carenum 

 arenariian and Eiitoma Loddonense (?) which will illustrate this. 

 The specimens marked "natural" show the beetles in their 

 natural state, those marked " spirits " show the same species after 

 a four months' immersion in methylated spirits. It wall be seen 

 that in these specimens of three genera of naturally smooth 

 Carenums four months in spirits has produced seven rows of faint 

 punctures — quite conspicuous in Carenum arcnarium— on eacli 

 elytron. Such a difference as is here shown to be caused by the 

 agency of spirits of v/ine in specimens of the same species has 

 been considered by the systematists who have described the 

 species of this group as sufficient to justify their being regarded as 

 distinct species. I have observed the same effect in specimens of 

 the genera Careindiiwi and Promecodorus among the Carabida;. 

 This remarkable result of leaving their specimens for a long time 

 in spirits is not, as far as I am aware, known to coleopterists. I 

 only found it out through accidentally mislaying a bottle contain- 

 ing some Care?mms last September. It contained specimens of 

 the common forms here, and I was greatly surprised to find on 

 pinning them about a week ago that the elytra of each specimen 

 showed punctate stria:, a feature I had never seen in any of them 

 before, though all were well known to me. I have not had time 

 to investigate the matter thoroughly, but it seems a very 

 important one to collectors, so I hope members Avill experiment 

 with any smooth Carabs they may get, and let us know the 

 result of their investigation. The cause would be worth finding 

 out. — I am, yours, &c., 



THOMAS G. SLOAN E. 

 Mulwala, N.S.W., 4th February, 1S89. 



