220 [August. 



Magdalinus harbicornis in the Chatham district. — In tlie January number of 

 this Magazine Mr. J. J. Walker contributed an article on the Coleoptera captured 

 by him in the previous summer. To the list of beetles enumerated therein I have 

 now great pleasure in adding for him Magdalinus barhicor-iis, a single specimen of 

 which I have observed amongst a large consignment of unset beetles lie very kindly 

 sent me at the time from the Chatham district.— J. II. Kkt.s, 9, Addison Road, 

 Sherwell Estate, Plymouth : ./«///, 1890. 



Coleoptera in the New Forest. — A Whitsuntide holiday recently gave me a long- 

 wished-for opportunity of visiting the New Forest in early summer. I got five days' 

 collecting, from May 21th to May 29th, making Lyndhurst my head-quarters. The 

 weather was very fine, but, after the first two days, which were intensely hot, an 

 east wind tempered the power of the sun, and materially reduced the number of 

 active insects. It was rather early for Coleoptera, and insects as a wiiole were 

 scarce ; several good species were taken by hard working, but in many cases only as 

 single specimens or in pairs. 



The first day or two were devoted to that indiscriminate thrashing of may- 

 blossom, which is so fascinating while there are still long gaps in one's colh'ction. 

 Besides the usual shower of Anaspis, &c., there were few good species ; the best 

 insect I took was Asclera sangidnicoUis, of whieli I beat one example by the road- 

 side, half-way between Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst. Its congener was common 

 enough. I also got one or two specimens of Haplocnemus impressu.i, and several 

 Elaterida, but the latter were common on oak, off which tree I beat Elaterpomonce, 

 Sericosomus brunneus (commonly), Corymbites tessellatus, metallicus, and bipustu- 

 latus, the variety of the latter with brown immaculate elytra being the commoner. 

 The only other species of any interest beaten were, Clytus mysticus, Homalium 

 rufipes and iopterum, all fairly common, and Silpha quadripunctata, which was so 

 rare, that I only saw three specimens while I was in the Forest. 



On the first hot day, sweeping was fairly productive, and I took a lot of Aniso- 

 toma calcarata, which was not to be lound on any other day, also Amphicyllis 

 globus ; but when the east wind set in, sweeping was a failure, and a chance specimen 

 of Chcetocnema confusa is all that I can place to its credit. After a day or so spent 

 in beating whitethorn blossom, a severe penance to one who suffers, as I do, from 

 the polite malady of " hay-fever," I turned my attention to wood- and bark-feeding 

 species, consuming the rest of my time turning over chips where tree-felling had 

 taken place, or scouring miles of forest in the search for really productive dead 

 wood. This, alas, in these days of improved forestry is a hard thing to find. 



The chip-turning was a comparative failure : Barypeithes brunnipes and Epurcea 

 obsoleta being the staple insects. Two specimens each of Pediacus dermestoides, and 

 HapalarcBa pygmcea, and one Pterostichus oblongo-punctatus were the best species 

 80 taken. 



I was lucky enough to find a really rotten beech, which, having been blown 

 down, had been cut up and stacked as " cord-wood ;" it took me an afternoon to 

 examine the piles of faggots, and as a result I got several Elater pomonce ; also 

 Agathidium nigripenne, Leiodes humeralis and orbiculata, Ditotna crenata, Orchesia 

 undulata, Philonthus splendidulus, and many Homalota and Somalia, and some 



