248 [November, 



Erom the few examples I have examined it would appear to be a 

 variable insect, but very remarkable from the peculiar dappled nature 

 of the markings on the abdomen. 



A more critical generic description is given by Hagen* in the 

 Stett. ent. Zeit., 1883, pp. 315, 316, and he there describes a North 

 American species (//. tessulatus) ,^'\i\Q\x he suggests may not improbably 

 be identical with the European. In fact, in some points Hagen's de- 

 scription suits the British insect better than Kolbe's ; the specific 

 description (pp. 316 — 319) is gone into with great detail, and includes 

 many points that are more of generic than specific value. 



Now that attention is called to these minute forms in this country, 

 it is reasonable to suppose that others will be discovered here. 



There exist also mature apterous forms more closely allied to the 

 winged forms, and with about the same number of joints (13) in the 

 antennae (such as BertJcauia, Kolbe, Leptella^ E/Outer, &c.), and these 

 have two-jointed tarsi. The risk of confusion with immature condi- 

 tions of winged forms is here greater, and the distinction seems mainly 

 to lie in the thoracic structure. Moreover, it must be remembered 

 that occasionally {Kolhia, Berttau, 3Iesopsocus, Kolbe, &c.) the (^ has 

 ample wings, whereas the $ is apterous, or nearly so, and is also 

 without ocelli. Our very common Elipsocus {Mesopsocus) unipunctatus 

 is a case in point. 



Lewisham, London : 



October, 1898. 



ON NEUEOPTEEA COLLECTED BY ME. MALCOLM BUER 



IN WALLACHIA, BOSNIA, HEECEGOVINA, &c., IN JULY AND 



AUGUST, 1898. 



BY ROBERT McLACHLAN, P.R.8., &c. 



During a tour this summer in Eastern Europe, that energetic 

 young entomologist, Mr. Malcolm Burr, collected a few Neuroptera, 

 which he has presented to me, and which I have pleasure in noticing 

 here, because there are two or three species of special interest, and 

 also because very little is known of even the most common species of 

 the districts visited. 



FLANIPENNIA. 

 BiTTACus Hageni, Brauer : — Comana (sometimes spelt Kom ana), Wallachia, July 



12tli, 1 (J . Of special interest in the local distribution of the species {cf. ante 



p. 233). 



* Hagen (p. 318, pi. ii, fig. ii, 2) describes and figures a bristly knob on each side of the 

 mesothorax at the outer angles, which probably represents an aborted wing stump. This is 

 clearly indicated in a camera, lucida sketch sent to me by Mr. Morton, who was unacquainted 

 with Hagen's description, but it is not alluded to by Kolbe.— R. McL. 



