I COLEOPTEBA. 169 



as a southern species in Britain, and it, therefore, seems advisable to 

 record its capture in north Durham. — Richaed S. Bagnall, Winlaton. 

 May 12f/i, 1906. 



W^ARI ATION . 



Amphidasys ab. doubledayaria at Frindsbuey. — A female Amphi- 

 dasys ab. doubledayaria was captured on May 20th, in the garden of 

 the Eev. A. Day, at Frindsbury, near Strood, Kent. It is the first 

 example of this form ever observed in this district, closely as it has 

 been worked for the last 35 years. The garden is situated in the 

 neighbourhood of extensive coke-ovens, cement works, a large railway 

 station and extensive engine-sheds ; the quantity of smoke produced in 

 the immediate neighbourhood having been largely increased during 

 the last few years owing to the development of the cement industry. 

 I know of no one having reared, ivoxn ova or larvae, in confinement, 

 this special form, in the district. — J. Ovenden, Frindsbury Road. 

 Strood, Kent. May 21st, 1906. 



®^OLEOPTERA. 



LoMECHusA strumosa, F., AS A BRITISH INSECT. — The Only records 

 of the capture of this beautiful beetle in Britain are — one specimen 

 taken by Sir Hans Sloane, on Hampstead Heath, in 1710 ; a second 

 captured by Dr. Leach, while travelling in the mail-coach between 

 Cheltenham and Gloucester ! Both these specimens are in the South 

 Kensington Museum. It is a far cry to the reign of Queen Anne, and 

 the beetle has been struck out of all our lists altogether since 1866, 

 when Crotch included it in his doubtful species ; and it is not mentioned 

 in Fowler, except to say that the genus comes very near to Atemeles. On 

 May 25th, I took a specimen at Woking, with its host, the fine ant 

 Formica mnguinea, and further search at the same place to-day (29th) 

 produced six more, one of which I unfortunately cut in two. It is not 

 necessary to give the description of Lomechusa here, as there is nothing 

 else that can be mistaken for it. It is like a gigantic Atemeles, and 

 has beautiful patches of golden hair on the abdomen, and also on the 

 femora. Being a true ant guest, it is fed and licked by its host. 

 It also devours their brood. The history of the capture of the first of 

 my specimens is as follows : — Whilst staying at Woking with Mr. 

 Saunders, Mr. Morice came out collecting with me, and I asked him 

 if he knew of any nests of Formica sangninea. He said "no," but, that 

 no doubt we could find some ; he found a nest under an old boot, which 

 produced nothing, and a little further away he pointed out an ant 

 running about, we saw several others, and, after some considerable 

 search, I found two nests near each other, and took the specimen 

 whilst investigating one of them, the second nest produced the other 

 six to-day. I may mention that Dinarda dentata was not uncommon 

 in both nests. — Horace Donisthorpe, 58, Kensington Mansions, South 

 Kensington, S.W. May 29th, 1906. 



Note on some Myrmecophilous beetles from the Northumberland 

 AND Durham district. — After reading Mr. Donisthorpe's most interest- 

 ing vice-presidential address to the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomo- 

 logical Society, on the Myrmecophilous Coleoptera of Great Britain, I 



