Insects, 7167 



to how these insects have fared in other places, and whether this scarcity he universal. 

 The temperature in June and July has been on an average about 15 degrees below 

 the same months last year,— nevertheless, when fine, a delicious temperature for exer- 

 cise, being neither too hot nor too cold. — H. W. Newman ; Hillside, Cheltenham, 

 July 28, 1860. 



Calosoma Sycophanta in the Isle of Wight. — A few days since some young friends 

 brought me a large beetle to look at, which proved to be no less a prize than a splendid 

 Calosoma Sycophanta. It was taken while crawling up the trunk of a tree, in a 

 meadow bordering upon the sea-shore at Bembridge, having probably been disturbed 

 by the hay-makers, who were then at work in the field. This is, I believe, the third 

 instance in which the insect has been observed in the Isle of Wight, single specimens 

 having been captured at Bonchurch, in January 1852, and at Freshwater in July, 

 1859 (Zool. 3359 and 6656).—^. G. More; Bembridge, July 12, 1860. 



Rhynchites Betuleti. — I have taken both sexes of this beautiful species plentifully 

 this year in the two-year-old clearings at Darenth. Early in the season only stragglers, 

 and those chiefly males, are to be taken, settling in the sunshine on the leaves of any 

 trees, though the hazel and dwarf aspen are their chief haunts. When found on the 

 latter the small examples are at first sight hard to distinguish from large specimens of 

 E. Populi (both species being variable in size, but they may be separated by looking 

 at the under-sides, which in the latter are blue, the whole body being concolorous in 

 K. Betuleti. At the end of June, when coupling, they may be found abundantly by 

 examining the top twigs of the hazel bushes, and while doing this a net or umbrella 

 must be held underneath, as the insect is crafty withal, and will drop to the ground 

 on very little provocation ; in which annoying " dodge," however, it is surpassed by 

 the larger Crypiocephali, which roll over and escape if merely looked at. In very hot 

 sunshine the Rhynchites sometimes unfurls its wings very rapidly and flies away, even 

 during the short journey from the tree to the net. They appear to bite half through 

 the tender stems of the hazel, about a couple of inches fiom the young terminal leaves, 

 which shortly wither and hang down, as if damaged by the beating-stick of a collector ; 

 and in or upon these apparently unprofitable shoots a male and female will generally 

 be detected. When no beetles are found the last leaf is curled up tight with a large 

 oblong yellow egg in it. Having never observed more than one egg at a time I pre- 

 sume the female deposits on several shoots of the same or different bushes. — E. C. Rye; 

 284, King's Road, Chelsea. — From the ' Intelligencer.' 



Hints to Bug Collectors. — As the promised Catalogue of the British Hemiptera 

 cannot fail of giving an impetus to bug collecting, the following remarks may not be 

 altogether useless, or considered out of place. At this period, and for some time to 

 come, the collector will meet with numbers of undeveloped forms, which, if consigned 

 at once to the laurel-bottle will be obviously useless as specimens, while if they are 

 returned lo the bough from which they were beaten or shaken, the chances are that 

 when wanted they will not be forthcoming, or, in other words, that the collector will 

 never meet with them again, — that is, in the case of species at all rare or scarce. 

 W'hat then is the course to be pursued.'' The plan I have adopted, and which I recom- 

 mend lo others, is to carry, in addition lo the bottle containing bruised laurel leaves, 

 one containing unbruised oak-leaves, if I am beating oak ; sprigs of fir, if beating firs ; 

 birch, if beating birch, ike. Into this bottle I put all the immature specimens I am 

 desirous ol seing become matured. At home I have a large aquarium-glass, to which 

 I have had a Icno cover made ; in this glass are placed three or four short, squat, wide- 



