SCIEXCE-GO: WI\ 



133 



Chiroeephalut dia/plianus. Indeed, the capture 

 may be lookcil upon as a re-discovery of this 

 species in England, fur it is so Long since an indi- 

 vidual was taken thai its present existence was 

 regarded as doubtful. In vol. xi. No. 6(3 of 

 " Natural Science " is an interest ing uote on ■' The 

 Apparent Disappearance of the British Phyllopods," 

 in which tlie writer calls attention to the dis- 

 appearance of ( It'tro-ephiilns with other Phyllopoda. 

 It is noteworthy that the locality for Irtemia salina 

 was (inly three or four miles From the spot where 

 we took CJiiroeephalus. 



A brief notice of the principal Eormsof the fresh- 

 water algae must suffice to call attention to the 

 richness of the Forest ponds in this direction. As 

 hinted above, the desmids constitute a prominent 

 feat ure of the flora of these ponds, especially such 

 as are situated on the open heaths ; many species 

 of the genera Closterium, Micfasterias, Bhtastnim, 

 and ffya'otlieca will be found. Batracliosperimvm 

 moiit'ifoniir is not uncommon, while the beautiful 

 Draparneddia glomerata may be seen in profusion. 

 living diatoms form a not unimportant unit in the 

 pond life of the Forest, and the order Confervoideae 

 is largely represented. 



Such, excepting the Hydrachnidae, which Mr. 

 Soar describes, is our modest contribution towards 

 an enumeration of the various forms of " pond- 

 life " occurring in the New Forest, a record, 

 perhaps, hardly worth the making in itself, but 

 published as an incentive to other workers to 

 explore the ponds in this district for material for 

 their own particular groups. It may be some 

 groups are poorly represented in the Forest, but 

 even then it is interesting to know that such is the 

 case, especially if one gleans some idea of why the 

 environment is unfavourable to them. On the 

 other hand, our experience goes to show that 

 eminently successful work could be done on many 

 prominent groups. So far the New Forest has 

 been regarded chiefly as an entomologist's ground, 

 but careful collecting may show that it is equally 

 desirable in other directions. 



G. T. Hahkis. 



Hydrachnidae in the New Forest. 



I he New Forest is the happy hunting-ground of 

 all entomologists, and as we know that the larval 

 stages of the Hydrachnidae spend a great part of 

 their time on the early and adult forms of aquatic 



' life, we concluded it would also be a g 1 



field for mite-hunting, but we have been dis- 

 appointed, the number of species found being 

 very small. This can, however.be accounted for 

 mute or less, as the ponds, mostly shallow, had the 

 appearance in some cases of having been com- 

 pletely dried up during the drought of last summer. 

 This, of course, would be fatal to all freshwater 

 mites. Then the weather at Easter was cold and 

 windy, so that all mites that could do so had no 



doul hidden themselves in the mud, in the 

 parts of the ponds, where it was impossible 

 to 'j. ,,t 1 1 1, -in with the ordinary collecting appara- 

 tus, if this last suggestion i- correct, another 

 visit during the summer months would give a much 

 better result, Anyway, we think it will he as well 

 to give a list of what. was found, as it will form a 

 beginning in the knowledge of their local distri- 

 bul ion in t hat part of Hampshire, and the List 

 be added to from time to time, as the New I 

 gets more systematically worked. 



Sub-family Hyg ROB.A tin a e. — 1. < 'urvipes fusca- 

 liis Hermann. A number of them were taken from 

 a pond on the Lyndhurst Road, including both 

 males and females. 2. Hygrobates longipalpis 

 Hermann. :;. //. reticulatus Kramer. 4. Idm/nesia 

 liistrionica Hermann. 5. L. Iweniliei Piersig. 6. 

 Brachypoda versicolor Midler. 7. Arreni/nis <jh>- 

 bator Mull. 8. -i. albata Mull. 9. Coclileoplwru* 

 vernalis Mull. 10. Teutonia primwria Koenike. 



Sub-family Hydryphantikae. 11. Hydry- 

 phantes ruber de Geer. 12. //. ruber var. pro- 

 longata. 13. Tliya* venusta Koch. 14. Thyas (.'). 



Upper Figure. Thgas(?) Q Ventral surface. 

 LOWER „ „ „ „ Genital plates. 



This one we cannot name, so we give a figure. It 

 differs from any Thyas we have yet seen. It 

 is of a bright scarlet colour, with straw-yellow 

 legs. Length about 150 mm. Mouth 

 project beyond anterior margin about 0*26 mm. 

 Only one specimen was found in a small pond at 

 the side of a mad near r.roekenhui'st Park. 



Sub-family HydraCHNINAE. L5. Wydr 

 leegei Koenike. 



Sub-family LrMNOCHARINAE. 16. Limnochares 

 holosericea Latreille. 



In addition to the above species we took one 

 line specimen of Corixa geoffroyi with larva 

 Hvdraehna attached to the 



C. D. Soar. 



