162 [December, 
Discovery of the 8 of Pezomachus true, Forst.—Mr. J. EB. Fletcher, of Worcester, 
sent me in 1869 several of the 2 of Pezomachus true, Férst. a large and con- 
spicuous red and black species, not very common. With them wasa g winged 
specimen, without abdomen, and therefore indeterminable. They were bred from 
Coleophora vibicella, and there seemed every reason to believe that the ¢ and 2 
of a Pezomachus were here brought together. Remembering the late Mr. Walton’s 
device for ascertaining the sexes of Apion, I suggested to Mr. Fletcher that, in any 
future experiment, if the animals were kept alive, and watched, their natural 
instincts would lead them to exhibit proofs of their sexual relation. Mr. Fletcher 
accordingly repeated the attempt in 1870, by collecting some 500 larve of the 
Coleophora. The result was not encouraging, as only three of the 9 Pezomachus 
were obtained. I now quote Mr. Fletcher’s letter :—“ The last summer I have had 
“somewhat better success: from 700 larve of the moth I obtained 8 ¢ and8 @ 
“of the Pezomachus. I placed the sexes together, that I might get them to pair | 
“(as you suggested) ; but I believe copulation did not take place. I watched them | 
“ frequently for several days, and the most I discovered was that on two or three 
“occasions a § mounted on a 2 apparently for coition, but the 2 appeared 
“unwilling each time.” Although the positive proof of the flagrans delictum is 
wanting, yet the circumstantial evidence is too strong to admit of doubt as to the. 
specific identity of the two forms; viz., their mutual resemblance (except as to sexual 
differences) ; their uniform appearance in company, bred from the same larvae ; 
and the fact that of the Pezomachus the ¢ has always been unknown, and of the 
Hemiteles, the 2? ,—for the g in question is undoubtedly the insect to which Mr. 
Desvignes assigned the name Hemiteles tenuicornis, Gr. It belongs to a small 
group of g forms whose 9 is unknuwn; and it may be conjectured that the other 
sex of these, as in the present instance, is to be sought in Pezomachus. H. 
luteiventris, Gr., is also one of these. They are-more slender than the typical 
males of Hemiteles, and have the metathorax as in Pezomachus. Many of the 
males of Pezomachus are wholly apterous, as is well known; but the genus can 
only be regarded as provisional, being founded on one sex. The presence or 
absence of wings appears to be only a secondary character. In a former volume of 
this Magazine I mentioned some instances of this; to which may be added that 
last year I found in Corsica a specimen of Agrothereutes abbreviator, F., 9, with the 
wings fully developed, whereby the insect is converted into a Cryptus.—T. A. 
MarsuaLt, St. Albans, Oct. 31, 1871. 
Capture of a Pempelia new to Britain.—It was rough weather in the New 
Forest on the 29th July last, and, as I had never collected in the Isle of Wight, 
I thought I would have a run over. When I got there, I found the weather just as 
bad ; but still, as it was my first visit, I felt obliged to look about me. It rained, 
however, so hard, that I was forced to take shelter; and, whilst doing so, I suddenly - 
caught sight of, and captured, an insect which proved on inspection to be one of 
the Phycide—something I had never seen before—and which, it struck me, must 
be, at any rate, new to Britain. 
off to catch the boat. So much for an hour on the Island. 
I have placed a specimen in Dr. Knagegs’ hands for determination—W. E. 
Davis, Haggerston Entomological Society, Dalston, 15th November, 1871. 
| 
An hour’s hard work produced fourteen more, but it was then time to hurry } 
