1893.] 145 



Ceuthorhynchus piloseUus, Oyll., Sfc, at WoJc'mg. — I found an example of this 

 extremely rai'e British weevil in a small sand pit in this neighbourhood at the end 

 of April, but my subsequent endeavours to discover the food-plant have been quite 

 unsuccessful. The only Cruciferce in the immediate vicinity of the pit are Brassica 

 rapa and Capsella hursa-pastoris ; the first-mentioned plant produces C. sulcicollis 

 and C. assimilis in abundance, and C. quadridens sparingly. The most likely looking 

 plant, so far as I can discover, is Lycopsis arvensis, which grows sparingly in the 

 district. M. Bedel informs me that he thinks it probable that C. pilosellus lives 

 upon a small Allium, or upon some plant belonging to the same Order {LiliacecB). 

 The Woking specimen agrees well with one given me many years ago by Mr. S. 

 Stevens, except that it has more distinct patches of whitish scales on the elytra. 

 The last British record of C. pilosellus appears to be that of Dr. Power — 1864, at 

 Seaton, Devon. Sitones griseus occurs sparingly in the Woking district, always upon 

 Ornithopus perpusillus, a plant not hitherto recorded for this insect I believe. 

 Cleonus nebulosus appeared as early as April 3rd, and Cicindela sylvatiea a few days 

 later. Anisotoma nigrita was observed on May 6th. — Gr. C. Champion, Ilorsell, 

 Woking : May 13th, 1893. 



On arsenic as a preservative. — A friend has kindly called my attention to an 

 ambiguity in my notes on this subject in our last No. I used the words " a solution 

 of arsenic in alcohol." But arsenic is insoluble in alcohol, and should first of all be- 

 dissolved in water in the proportion of 1 part of arsenic to 120 of water iy weight. 

 Pure (not methylated) alcohol can then be added until only the least possible deposit 

 is present on evaporation, as previously stated. Most persons will probably find it 

 better to have the arsenic prepared by a chemist, rather than attempt the preparation 

 themselves. — R. McLachian, Lewisham : May 16th, 1893. 



^bituarg. 



J. F. M. Bigot, who was born in 1818, died at Paris, where he had practically 

 resided all his life, on April 14th, 1893. He had been a Member of the Entomolo- 

 gical Society of France since 1844, and his first paper was published in its Annals 

 in 1845, as were most of those that followed. He was a prolific writer on Diptera, 

 but the quality of his work did not find favour amongst the students of that Order, 

 and did not escape severe criticism. 



Charles N. F. Brisout de Barneville, ex-President and Honorary Member of 

 the Entomological Society of France, died at St. Grermain-en-Laye, near Paris, on 

 May 2nd, in his 7lst year. He did much good work. His early studies were 

 principally devoted to Orthoptera, but it is probably as a Coleopterist, and especially 

 as a writer on Curculionidcs, that he was best known. 



Professor James Wood-Mason died at sea on his way home from Calcutta on 

 May 6th. He was the eldest son of a G-loucestershire medical man, and was born in 

 that County in 1846. He was educated at Charterhouse School, and subsequently 

 at Queen's College, Oxford, where he showe'd a bias in favour of Natural History 

 and Geology, and through the instrumentality of Professors Phillips and Huxley he 

 became Assistant Curator in the Indian Museum at Calcutta, and subsequently 



