238' [October, 



dark at night by sweeping with a heavy net, hyperici hides itself among the flowers 

 on its plant — and so on ; gosttingensis, however, appears to keep closer than all, and 

 the recipe to get them seems to be — find a first specimen, and then search closely, 

 pulling and tearing among the grass and thick stuff, in fact, hunt the ground by the 

 inch. Every beetle was on the ground at the bottom, and a favourite place was on 

 the ground beneath the large leaves of the mullein plants. We have now about 

 50 beautiful specimens from this one chalk hill. — W. Holland, 21, Walton Crescent, 

 Oxford : September, 1893. 



Chrysomela gosttingensis. — I am able to add more localities to those already 

 recorded in this Magazine. Of fifteen specimens in my collection four are registered 

 as coming from Kent, and are not of my taking. The rest I picked up in a lane 

 somewhere to the south of Barnstaple, and all in one day. But the insect is es- 

 pecially common near Bridgenorth, in a lane known as " Stanley Lane," leading to 

 the Hall of that name, where a summer walk can hardly be taken without one or 

 more specimens being noticed. I do not know why this beetle is still retained in 

 the genus Chrysomela, as it belongs more properly to Timarcha. — T. A. Marshall, 

 Botusfleming Eectory, Cornwall: July 29th, 1893. 



Coccinellidce, Sec, in East Kent. — I can confirm Mr. Champion's note on the 

 abundance of Coccinellidce this summer. I have observed them in great numbers 

 in East Kent in the neighbourhood of Sittingbourne, the commonest by far being 

 C. 1-punctata, which swarmed in the hop fields. C. \Ai-punctata and Chilocorus 

 similis also occurred, besides the commoner species of lady-birds. The only other 

 species of beetle which I noticed in the hop fields was a small Psylliodes, probably 

 P. attenuata. This insect, which was very common in places, riddles the leaves of the 

 hops through and through, and must, I think, cause considerable loss at times to the 

 hop farmer. I do not know whether it is generally regarded as an injurious insect. 

 I have one specimen of Prionus coriarius from this district, it is a small male, and 

 was taken at the end of July. It has not, I believe, been recorded before from East 

 Kent.— A. J. Chitty, 33, Queen's Grate Gardens, S.W. : September, 1893. 



Niptus hololeucus. — An insect, which was formerly, I believe, looked upon as a 

 somewhat rare species, viz., Niptus hololeucus, swarms in such profusion in a house 

 in this town, that it will probably compel the tenants to leave it. It is almost 

 impossible to keep it out of the food. More than 80 specimens have been destroyed 

 in a single morning, but no efforts seem to diminish the numbers. — Philip B. 

 Mason, Burton-on-Trent : September, 1893. 



[There must be something in the house with which the insect was introduced, 

 and if this is got rid of the beetles wilJ probably disappear. It is exceedingly om- 

 nivorous, but appears to delight in something piquante, cantharides, capsicums, 

 and cayenne pepper having been included in its menu. — Eds.]. 



Astynomus cBdilis. — I received from a friend in Hull this morning a very fine 

 male specimen of Astynomus csdilis ; from its condition it seemed but just to have 

 emerged from the pupa. It was found amongst timber just came from Norway, 

 from which it had probably emerged. — Alpred Thornley, South Leverton Vicarage : 

 August, 1893. 



