18 [January, 



its appearance on the usual railway bank, along with Orohestes pratensis, Apion 



stolidum (not recorded previouslj from this district), Cassida sanguinolenta, and 



innumerable Apion eheninum and Gymnetron pascuorum. Visiting Winchelsea 



towards the end of June I found Donacia cinerea in fair numbers at the same end 



of the same ditch, with a few D. hraccata and D. menyanthidis. In trying for 



Gyrinus Suffriani, however, in a ditcli where it occurred last year I captured a 



single Telmatophilua sparganii,oi which species I afterwards (by sweeping the flower 



heads of Sparganium raonosum) took enough for a good series, and a few over. In 



this same ditch, or rather a very short portion of it, all five of the species of Telma- 



tophilus put in an appearance in the course of three visits, besides Phytobius notula, 



Coccidula scutellata, and Enbrychius velaiu-i. In July Rhinoncus inconspectus was 



fairly abundant on Polygonum persicaria, with one or two Hypera Pollux, at Pe- 



vensey, where also a few Laccoph'dus variegalus occurred. At Camber Harpalus 



servus was abundant at roots of grass, and H. cordatus appeared in small numbers 



in August, with seven or eight Amai-a rwfoeincta and one Wlasoreus ; Phytohius 



Waltoni occurred sparingly on Polygonum at Ewhurst, where Sibinia primita 



swarmed in nearly every hedgerow, though I have never taken it but singly in the 



neighbourhood before. In September Apion raripes appeared again very sparingly, 



and one or two Scymnus capitatus with it at Ewhurst. At St. Leonard's Ceuthor- 



rhynchidius Chevrolati and Orchestes pratensis put in an appearance as long as the 



weather remained mild, which was well into October this year. In October my only 



other attempt at collecting was a " treacling " expedition to Guestling Wood, in 



hopes of turning up Anchomenus livens. I am pleased (?) to be able to assert that 



there is still one there at least, but, owing to the roughness of the oak bark, it 



managed to give me the slip. 



I am also able to record tlie rare Halictns Icevigatus from this neighbourhood ; 

 a single specimen was taken on one of the yellow Compositae, along with IS. minutus, 

 which is also new to this district. I am indebted for their names to Mr. Edward 

 Saunders.— W. W. Esam, Eagle House, St. Leonard's : December 3rd, 1897. 



The food of Silpha laevigata, F. — As there appears to be a considerable amount 

 of doubt with regard to the food of some of the species of Silpha, it may be of 

 interest to record that I recently watched a Silpha laevigata making a meal of a 

 snail. The latter appeared to belong to the species common in gardens, and was 

 about quarter grown. The beetle commenced at the thin edge, cracking the shell 

 away until it had made a hole large enough to bury its long mandibles in the soft 

 body of the snail. I am inclined to think that the snail is the usual food of this 

 species, as the narrow head and long serrated mandibles appear admirably adapted 

 for this class of food, and reminds one forcibly of the same parts in Cychrus rostratus, 

 which is well known to be a snail feeder. — H. J. Thotjless, 48, Grrove Avenue, 

 Norwich : December 3rd, 1897. 



[This habit of <S. Icevigata is mentioned by Westwood, who states (Introd. Mod. 

 Classif. Ins., i, p. 136) that " it feeds voi'aciously upon live snails, digging its strong 

 jaws into the fleshy bodies of the latter, which in vain endeavour to escape." It 

 has also been noticed by Jacquelin Duval and others. — G. C. C.]. 



