1894 135 



life-histories, and so do not know the time of year when they are most abundant, 

 consequently we must frequently look for species when we have not the slightest 

 chance of obtaining them in the imago. Hence it is, too, that steady all the year 

 round work at one spot produces such good results. I have, as the readers of the 

 Ent. Mo. Mag. are aware, worked Mullinure at all times of year for several years, 

 and I think the result justifies my suggestion. — W. F. JoHNSOisr, Winder Terrace, 

 Armagh : May, 1894. 



Coleoptera near Cardiff. — Mniophila muscorum occurred in profusion at the 

 end of March in moss in the Leckwith Woods, and with it a single specimen of OrtJio- 

 chcetes setiger. I took a solitary Aphodius sticticus on April 4th. The capture of 

 Sister stercorarius near Llandaff last autumn may be worth recording. — B. Tomiik, 

 The G-reen, Llandaff : April Uh, 1894. 



Homalota (Aleuonota) rufotestacea, Sfc, at Guildford. — On the 15th inst., 

 between 2 and 4 p.m., I obtained twelve specimens of Homalota rufotestacea, by 

 sweeping in shady grassy places on the chalk downs near Gruildford. The insect was, 

 I believe, hitherto unique as British, the original example having been captured by 

 myself at Mickleham in April, 1868 {cf, Ent. Mo. Mag., v, p. 218, and Trans. Ent. 

 Soc, 1869, p. 163). The day was an exceptionally favourable one for collecting pur- 

 poses — very close, still, and liumid — and small Staphylinidce , Clavicornia, &c., were 

 exceedingly abundant. Amongst the StaphylinidcB, in addition to the H. rufotestacea, 

 the following species occurred : — Homalota depressa (abundant), H. hepatica, H. 

 testaceipes, H. angustula, H. inquinula, and H.pagana, and Calodera umbrosa, with 

 many other common forms. As recently as January last, M. Fauvel sent me a 

 continental example of his H. aurantiaca (= rufotestacea. Bye and Sharp, nee 

 Kraatz and Bey) to compare with my specimen of H. rufotestacea, with which it 

 perfectly agreed. According to M. Fauvel, the species of the ^^ewoKO^a-section of 

 Homalota have been much confused by authors, and their synonymy he gives as 

 follows : — 



1 — aurantiaca, Fauv. 4 — egregia, Bye. 



rufotestacea, Bye, Sharp. gracilenta, Kr. 



2.—atricapilla, Bey, Fairm., &c. hypogesa, Fowl. 



rufotestacea, Kr., Bey. h-ocaloides, Bris. 



elegantula, Bris., Sharp, Bey. P ^i^.^nwetteri, Kr. 



3 — gracihnta, Er., Fairm., Bey. 



. , -rr 6 — IcBviceps, Bris. 



venusiula, Heer. ^ 



splendens, Kr., Sharp. 



? hypogaa, Bey. 



The last two are not British. H. aurantiaca has been found in France (Autun, 

 Dijon, Drfime, and Limoges), Germany (Hesse), &c. Tlie H. elegantula of our lists 

 differs from it in the much more coarsely punctured head, and, according to Fauvel, 

 in having the seventh ventral segment sinuate-emarginate (instead of truncate) in 

 the 9 . H. egregia, Bye, M. Fauvel informs me, has two tubercles upon the sixth 

 abdominal segment in the $ ; the specimen described by Bye, in my possession, is 

 a V .— G. C. Champion, Horsell, Woking : May \Uh, 1894. 



