136 [June. 



Of Monocotyledons, it has already been pointed out that one of 

 the most showy ordei*s, the Orchidaceae, is altogether neglected, and the 

 preference is given to those that possess no bright colours, such as 

 the Juncaceap and the Graminaceae. These two orders, and especially 

 the latter, are very much sought after, and gmsses alone serve as 

 support, in one way or other, to upwards of 100 s})ecies. 



The Fiiiaceae, again, are verj' productive, and Juniper, Scotch Fir, 

 Spruce, and Larch have numerous adherents ; not onl}' are they the food- 

 plants of many species, but also, as evergreens, they often furnish a 

 winter residence to such species as survive that season in the adult fonn, 

 since they afford much better protection from the weather than the then leaf- 

 less deciduous trees. Reuter (Charak. und Ent. Hemipt. Faun. Palaearct. 

 Conif.) has recorded 190 species of Palaearctic Heteroptera as having 

 occurred on Coniferous trees, and of these, 101 are inhabitants of Britain. 

 These he classifies into three groups, according as (i) they depend upon 

 deciduous trees or low plants for their food and resort to the Conif erne 

 only for hibernation, or (ii) are found on both Conifers and deciduous 

 trees or low plants even in summer-time, or (iii) occur exclusively on 

 Coniferous trees. 



Coming, finally, to the Cryptogamia, we find that ferns give support 

 to a few species, amongst Avhich may be specially mentioned Monalocm^is 

 and Bryocorifi. our two solitary representatives of a section of the Cap- 

 sidae which has manv remarkable exponents in the Tropics. Foliaceous 

 lichens and lichen-infested trees are attractive to a few, while mosses are 

 extremely popular, especially amongst the smaller species, notably in the 

 Tingididae and the smaller Li/gaeidae ; and also as a winter-resort for 

 manv of the larger species. The Copsidae almost entirely avoid this 

 group of plants, which would, no doubt, be too moist for insects of such 

 a delicate textiu-e. 



The habits of those species that are found in the British Islands do 

 not always quite agree with what is recorded of them by Continental 

 observers. Thus the Coreid bug, Gonocerus acuteanguJatus with us, in 

 the perfect state, is confined to box-trees, whereas on the Continent it 

 has been recorded from oaks and Bosa con inn, and the larva from 

 Bhamiuis frangiila. Mr. E. C. Bed well has found the latter also on 

 yew, where it was attracted by the berries which it was seen to be 

 sucking. One may say, in general, that there are but few species that 

 are confined to a single species of plant. 



14 Drvlauds Koad, Ilornsev, X. 8. 

 ' April ZQth, 1918. 



