26G THE entomologist's record. 



the specimens taken by myself in 'Tuly, 189G, in the broad ditch near 

 Handown Castle, Deal. 



I must confess that the only character which appears to me to be 

 constant is that of the shape of the mesosternmn. M. Bedel very 

 kindly corroborated the specimens I took to him, doing so from the 

 upper side alone, and an examination of the mesosternum fully bears 

 out his diagnosis. I have, however, a specimen of hitcnrstratus, Kust., 

 received from Reitter in which the margins of both thorax and elytra 

 are entirely red-yellow. Some specimens in Dr. Power's collection are 

 very similar, but being carded the mesosternum is not visible, and they 

 are probably to be referred to iiiariiiKs, Thoms. 



Description of the larva of Quedius kraatzii, Bris. — I fomid the 

 larva of (JiiediHs kraatzii at Chiddingfold this year, and have been also 

 successful in taking the perfect insect near the original locality. Both 

 larvte and perfect insects were fairly numerous. The former lives in 

 the mud of the small reaches that stretch into the stream, and may be 

 induced to emerge by " sluicing." It runs very fast and bears a very 

 strong resemblance to the perfect insect. I was several times under 

 the impression that it was the latter till I had picked it up. The 

 following is a description of it : 



T.iirvii : Head and prothorax horny. Head of a yellowish-red, prothorax dark 

 ruby-red. Mesothorax and metathorax of a less horny consistency, same colour as 

 prothorax. Abdomen soft, of a dirty blackish-brown colour above, grey beneath. 

 Legs and antennte yellow. Head subquadrate, Hat, smooth. Antennae four-jointed, 

 the basal joints being the longest ; third joint curved, and with a very small joint, 

 or appendage, on its outer side near apex ; last joint small. Mandibles strong, 

 curved, and furnished with a large tooth in middle of inner side. Labrum trans- 

 verse. Labium small. Labial palpi two-jointed, second joint very short and 

 pointed. MaxilliB cylindrical. Maxillary palpi two-jointed, second short and 

 pointed. Prothorax transverse, about as broad as head. Mesothoi-ax and meta- 

 thorax transverse, a little less broad than prothorax. Abdomen nine-jointed, 

 segments of about equal length, but getting gradually narrower to apex ; the terminal 

 segment furnished with two long cerci, which are two-jointed, and furnished with 

 nu2nerons simple setaj. Anal appendage elongate and horny, used to assist progres- 

 sion. Legs three-jointed. Length Gmm. 



— H. DoNisTHORPE, F.Z.S., F.E.8., Deurandcsthorpe, Chiddingfold, 

 Surrey. 



Quedius mesomelinus, Marsh, a myrmecophilous insect. — Having 

 discovered an old oak stump at Chiddingfold in which a colony of 

 Lasius fiiliiiiiiosiis has its home I have been working it for myrme- 

 cophilous coleoptera. 80 far the following three species have turned 

 up : — Miiniicthniia Itif/i'n.s, Jl/. fiinexta, and (JuciJiiis iiu'sfundijiiis, the last 

 species in some numbers. This beetle has not, I believe, been recorded 

 as occurring with ants before, nor does Wasmann mention it in his 

 " Myrniekophilen und Termitophilen Arthropoden." The ants enter 

 the stump by a hole large enough to admit one's hand. There is no 

 doubt that the QnciJinx is living in the nest of the ant, and as Q. 

 iinc)()j)!i sometimes occurs with this ant (Was., Mi/r. it. Trr. Art., p. 84) 

 and Q. brcris is only found with ants (both this ant and Fimiiica ni/a) 

 it is not surprising that (J. iiii'stimcliuin^ should also sometimes occur 

 with these. — Ibid. 



Notes on some aberrations of Osphya bipunctata. Fab. — Being 

 fortunate enough to take this fine insect recently, in the Midlands, in 

 some numbers, I noticed several interesting forms, which, as far as I 

 can ascertain, have not been described or recorded before. The insect 



