1870] | 53 
(3 or 4) occurred in the loch on Ben Chearan (not “ Hearag” as I, by 
mistake, informed Mr. Douglas, E. M. M., vol. vi, p. 249), and C. alpestris 
abundant in the same place. The other species included C. venusta, 
Wollastoni, socialis, cognata, Fabricii, fossarum, preusta, Scotti, Douglasi, 
&e. Cymatia Bonsdorffii was common, but confined to one or two pools. 
Among the Homoptera were also some good species, including two pos- 
sibly new Cixii ; Delphax distinctus, Flor (new to Britain), Acocephalus 
bifasciatus, Iassus cruentatus, &c. 
Neuroptera in Strathglass.—Dragon-flies were scarce; the com- 
monest being Cordulia metallica (see p. 38), more often seen than caught, 
but not rare about some lochs on the south side of the glen. Tri- 
choptera were abundant, and possibly some novelties might reward a 
careful search. The best I took was Limnophilus pavidus (Hagen), of 
which I found two female specimens. Mr. McLachlan (who kindly 
named them and others for me) informs me that the claim of this species 
to be considered British, rested only on a single male specimen of 
dubious origin, in the British Museum. Phryganea obsoleta was not 
very scarce beside the loch on Ben Chearan, where also P. striata* 
occurred. 
Perth: May 8th, 1870. 
A FRAGMENT OF A LIFE-HISTORY OF ACANTHOSOMA GRISEA. 
BY REV. J. HELLINS, M.A. 
All of us who have read Kirby and Spence, must remember their 
account, taken from De Geer, of the affection shown for its young by 
this “ Field-bug,’ and their exhortation to the entomologist to put 
aside recollections of bugs which do not live in fields and trees, and to 
search upon the birch tree for so interesting a subject. Whether any 
one has ever searched, of course I cannot tell; but I am informed by 
those more learned in bug-lore than myself, that De Geer’s account 
remained unverified—at least in print--until Mr. Parfitt furnished 
Messrs. Douglas and Scott with a note of the observations made by 
him a few years ago, on a female Acanthosoma grisea, which he found 
guarding most anxiously four young oues, somewhat advanced in growth 
(British Hemiptera-Heteroptera, p. 103). And as it has been my luck 
* The examples of this species captured by Dr. White, and referred to here, are very extraordinary, 
searcely larger than P. varia, very dark and strongly marked; did not the appendices present such 
certain characters, this form would probably be considered as representing a distinct species. On the 
contrary, some of the specimens of P. obsoleta are very large, equal to ordinary P. varia, and with the 
contrast of colours almost as great.—R. McLAacHLaAN. 
