COLEOPTERA. 217 



p. 100). Taken by j\Ir. Moncreali", at Portsdown, on Verbascuni 

 thapsus. 



llister qitadriniaculatHs ab. ijatjatcs, Illiger. — This aberration, which 

 Crotch introduced into his first catalogue (18G8), must be re-inserted 

 into the British list. It is a totally black form of qnaibiniacnlatm, 

 and the description is as follows {Mdi/a^in fur fnacktoikuudc, Karl 

 Illiger, Sechstcr Band, 1807, p. 81): " Labro acuniinato ; thoracis 

 lateribus sesquis-stviatis ; elytra immaculatis striis lateralibus quatuor ; 

 marginali antice abbreviata ; tibiis anticis tridentatis ; dente apicis 

 integro." In the European catalogue (1S91), aethiops, Heer, is given as 

 a synonym of (/(u/alcs, 111., and Fowler {( 'ol. Brit. Isles, vol. iii., p. 200) 

 says of qKadriiiiaculatiis: *• black with a large crescent-shaped red spot 

 on each, which is very variable in shape, being often interrupted and 

 forming four patches, and sometimes being absent altogether (v. 

 ad/iiops, Heer)." I prefer to use the name nat/ates, 111., because Heer 

 in Fauna Coleojiteroorum Helvetica, 183S, ]). 4.52, separates aetJiiops from 

 quadrlmaciilatm thus : — 



((() Elytra striis marginalibus duabus, exteriore vero-brevissima — //. aethiops, 

 Heer. 



(h) Elytra stria marginali nnica interiore, exteriore deficiente — H. i,-7nacH- 

 latit^, L. 



So t]u^t aethinp.'^ cannot be the same as yariatcs, 111. I have obtained 

 Continental specimens which do not show any trace of two marginal 

 striiB on the elytra. Mr. Walker has compared his British specimens 

 with one of these, and he tells mc that they agree perfectly. He captured 

 two or three examples under flood refuse at Iwade this year. Pro- 

 fessor Beare and I had the pleasure of collecting there one day with 

 him, when Mister 4:-)iHiculatus turned up in some numbers and many 

 variable forms occurred ; we, however, were not fortunate enough to 

 obtain the totally black aberration, our most extreme forms having 

 only an evanescent red patch on the bend of the elytra. The ab, 

 (lafiatcs must be comparatively very rare in Britain, as I can find no 

 other records (except Crotch's catalogue) and there are no specimens in 

 the Stephensian or Power collections. 



( 'eitt/ior/n/nehiis quereeti, (tvII. — Champion records [luif. Mo. Maij., 

 xxNv., p. 142) this species as nn addition to the British list, from 

 specimens cajjtured by ^lessrs. b'dwMrds and I'lliinan and t)i<> late ^Tr. 

 J. A. Brewer, in Horniiig Feu. 



lidyjHthix Iii1tt>i. \i. ab. er;jtliroeejili<ih(x. F. — Ne\vl>ery, J\iit. Mo. 

 Mo;/., WW .. ]). l')\). I'aken by Mr. W. Iv Sharp in some numbers 

 under tlo!)d refuse on the banks oi the river Lleidr, Dolwyddelen, 

 Carnarvonshire. Here the aberration formed 75 jx^r cent, of the 

 ca])turt'S and thus far outnuuilx'red the type. 



iKmwn M. IhnjKiiii.-i I'mrlirhi, miti', ji. I;i8. Tiie iiisect was taken iti May, 1807 

 (not l«f».S). by Messrs. Morley and i'dliott (not Ellis).] 



(g^^URRENT NOTES. 



Some years ago we had occasion to find fault with the procrastina- 

 tion of the South Foiido)i I'jitoinological Society in the matter of the 

 publication of its 7'(v^avv//;/;/.s'. I'lider its present secretaries the old 

 order has changed completely, by degrees arrears have been over- 

 taken, and for the last two years the Proceedings have been pub- 



