1898.] 63 



almost black. Bomhus hortorum, one 9 taken ; intermediate between the type and 

 Tar. Harrisellus, having pale hairs on the 4th segment, all the others black. — Ralph 

 C. Beadlet, Sutton Coldfield : Fehruary, 1898. 



Cynomyia alpina, Ztt., in WarioicJcshire. — The claim of this species rests as 

 British, I believe, on an old Scottish record, and one brought forward by Mr. P. 

 G-rimshaw (Edinburgh Museum), who records a $ from Aberdeenshire in 1896. 



Warwickshire can now be added as a locality, and as the species is so little 

 known, a short account of its capture may prove interesting. On August 2nd I 

 took two males in my garden, and coming to the conclusion it must be a good thing 

 I worked systematically for it day by day until September 6th, capturing in all 

 sixteen ^ s. All were taken between 8.30 and 10 o'clock, sunning themselves on 

 raspberry and currant leaves, in company with NemorcBa radicum, Lucilia Ccesar, 

 Musca vomitoria and eri/throcephala. They only appeared in bright sunshine, and 

 were very skittish, seldom allowing one to approach within a couple of yards, and 

 at that distance were difficult to separate from the Musccb, unless one caught sight 

 of the bright face, or obtained a glimpse of the last abdominal segments, not an easy 

 matter with the wings closed. One could also see that it is a more compactly built 

 insect, narrower than erythrocephala, yet many times I swept up the Muscce by 

 mistake, being very anxious to take the ? , and, therefore, let nothing doubtful pass. 



I forwarded the species to Mr. E. E. Austen, who reported the naming as 

 correct, and kindly supplied the record of previous captures. 



A single S taken in the gai-den, July 25th, 1891, remained unrecognised in my 

 collection until last autumn. All the records appear to be males, so we have yet to 

 find the female. — Id. 



Diptera in the New Forest : a correction, — For Urofliora cardui please read 

 Tephritis miliaria in my list of Diptera (last line, page 42, of the February number). 

 — Feed. C. Adams. 



Systricopsylla talpce, Curt, (obtusiceps, Bits.), at Chatham. — On the afternoon 

 of the 15th, while hunting for Brachysomus hirtus in its locality close to Chatham, 

 I came across the nest of a field-mouse among dead leaves at the roots of a small 

 chestnut bush. It was deserted by its owner, which was hardly to be wondered at, 

 for on shaking it over paper out tumbled no fewer than seven specimens (3 (J , 4 $ ) 

 of the giant flea, Hystricopsylla talpce, Curtis, as well as several of the small pallid, 

 Typhlopsylla musculi, Duges. Both species were lively enough, and ran over the 

 paper with great speed, most of the Typhlopsylla efPecting their escape ; but 

 (perhaps fortunately for me) the saltatory powers of the Hystricopsylla were of the 

 most limited description, and it seemed unable to jump more than an inch at the 

 utmost. Hitherto I have met with this great flea very rarely in haystacks, tufts of 

 grass, moss, and heaps of hedge-clippings, and on one occasion on a living field-vole, 

 Arvicola agrestis, but never more than one, or at most, two at a time, so the capture 

 of so many specimens at once may be worth recording. The largest $ measures 

 a trifle over 5 mm. in length. The only beetle found in the nest was a fine example 

 of the rare Staphylinid, Oxypoda spectahilis, Maerk., which has occurred to me only 

 once before in the Chatham district, in the spring of 1873. — James J. Walkee, 23, 

 Ranelagh Road, Sheerness : January llth, 1898. 



