1894.1 115 



Pentaria Olerthilri, Champ. — In the Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr., 1894, p. Ixxvi, Dr. 

 Chobaufc gives a Table of the palsearctic species of Pentaria, but he omits all mention 

 of P. Olerthuri, Champ. [Ent. Mo. Mag., xxviii, p. 109 (1892)], from the Pyrenees. 

 This insect, however, proves to be synonymous with P. Defargiiesi, Abeille de Perrin 

 PElev. d'Ent., iv, p. 161 (1885)], who, not recognising its obvious generic characters, 

 wrongly placed the species in Anaspis. The palsearctic species of Pentaria (4) are 

 as follows : — badia, Eosenh. (= sericaria, Muls.), and Defargussi, Ah. (= Oherthuri, 

 Champ.), from the south of Europe ; lihanicus, Mars., from Lebanon ; and Reitteri, 

 Chob. {pp. cit., p. Ixxv), from the Araxes valley. — Id. 



Aphodius conspuius, Creutz. — I have in past years occasionally met with this 

 rare Aphodius, but always as casual single specimens, on walls and in flood refuse. 

 The dates of these captures, corroborated by that of the larger haul made by the 

 Eev. T. Wood in East Kent (Ent. Mo. Mag., Ser. I, vol. xxiii, p. 261), have hitherto 

 induced me to regard the beetle as especially a late autumn or early winter species ; and 

 this idea was confirmed by my finding a fine specimen crawling on a wall in New 

 Brompton as late as December 23rd last. Until the early part of the present month 

 (April) all my efforts to find the insect in its natural pabulum have been in vain, but 

 within the last few days I have taken it rather freely in sheep -drop pings on the 

 pasture lands in the Isle of Sheppey, near Queenborough. Although not exactly 

 plentiful, it was actually the commonest member of its genus on the two occasions 

 on which I have been able to look for it ; as it even outnumbered its usually 

 abundant ally, A. punctato-sulcatus, from which species its smaller average size, 

 darker and comparatively uniform colour, and the conspicuous yellow spot on either 

 side of the clypeus, distinguish A. consputus at a glance. With it occurred A. 

 luridus, hcemorrhoidalis, pusillus, and other ordinary species, but none of them in 

 any great numbers. I shall be happy to give a type of Aphodius consputus to any 

 Coleopterist wishing for it. — James J. Walkbe, 23, Ranelagh Eoad, Sheerness : 

 April nth, 1894. 



Curious locality for Crioceris asparagi, Linn. — On cutting open a pierced 

 bramble stem the other day in search of Bymenopterous larvae, I was very much 

 surprised to come upon a living example of the above ; I do not know exactly where 

 the bramble stem was found, but it was from this neighbourhood, and may have 

 been near an asparagus bed, anyhow it is a curious position for the insect to occupy, 

 and shows that it occasionally hibernates. — E. Saundees, St. Ann's, Woking: 

 April Uth, 1894. 



Bytiscus dimidiatus at Askham Bog. — On Wednesday, March 28th, I visited 

 Askham Bog. I found the Bog very full of water, which surprised me, as the winter 

 and early spring have been so dry. It was in the state which I have always found 

 most favourable to the capture of rare Hydradephaga. The morning was very 

 misty, and the sun only broke out a little time before I began work. It was very 

 noticeable how, as the warmth increased, the water-beetles got more and more on the 

 move. I soon took about a dozen Agabus uliginosus and a score of Hydroporus rufi- 

 frons. I then visited a large pond where, twelve years ago, I took a female dimidiatus. 

 I put the net down in a place where deep water can be reached from the bank, and at 



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