200 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NOTES ON BRITISH ORTHOPTERA IN 1921. 

 By W. J. Lucas, B.A., F.E.S. 



Porficulodea. — Earwigs (Forjicula auricularia, Linn.), that 

 are found as imagines in the early months of the year, we are 

 accustomed to look upon as having hibernated in that stage ; 

 but we are still somewhat uncertain when, in a state of nature, 

 the earliest imagines of the new season begin to appear. In 

 1921 R. South found a female between 8 and 17 June at 

 Padworth in Berks ; but I first noticed one myself, a male, at 

 Merton Park, Surrey, on 26 June. C. W. Bracken found the 

 variety forcipata, Steph., common at Newquay in Cornwall in 

 August ; and I took one on the road between Esherand Oxshott, 

 Surrey, on 29 Sept. The latter was interesting as having the 

 pale spot distinct on the visible point of the wings. 



Blattodea. — On 31 May in the New Forest I found in the 

 damp layer at the bottom of a heap of cut heath or heather 

 a fairly large nymph of Ectobius lapponicus, Linn. ; this 

 apparently had hibernated as a nymph. Again in the Forest on 

 12 September, under a collection of dead leaves and sticks by 

 the side of Blackwater, I met with two or three small nymphs, 

 which clearly were going to hibernate in that stage. Of Ectobius 

 p er spirillar is * Herbst., an interesting record has come to hand. 

 H. M. Hallett, while at Llangennith at the extreme end of 

 Gower Peninsula in Glamorganshire during the second fortnight 

 of July, found this cockroach in all stages of growth. One was 

 carrying its ootheca ; but this fell out while the insect was being 

 mounted. The nymphs, which ranged from straw-colour to 

 a reddish tinge, were most agile. They occurred in all their 

 stages under Erodium, but were found most plentifully under cut 

 Marram-grass. In that district they mow the grass for the 

 purpose of thatching hay-ricks, and it was under recently mown 

 material that the insects abounded. The imagines made no 

 effort to fly when disturbed, but their rapidity oi movement was 

 quite sufficient to render catching them a work of more than 

 ordinary difficulty. Mr. Hallett was kind enough to present me 

 with two females and an ootheca. K. G. Blair found a male 

 Blatta orientalis, Linn., in the Isle of Man from 1-12 July in a 

 garden, but near a kitchen. In the refuse tip at Penarth, 

 Glamorganshire, H. M. Hallett states that he frequently turns 

 up B. orientalis in all stages under old sacks, sheets of old 

 linoleum, etc. 



* As suggested in my 'British Orthoptera,' p. 72, footnote, E. perspicillaris 

 is almost certainly only a pale form of E. lapponicus. 



