Insects. 5003 



Capture of Tinea pallescentella at Stockton. — In a neighbour's house, where I was 

 sitting in the beginning of September last, with the gas lighted and the window 

 a little raised, an example of this hitherto scarce species came flying in, and rested on 

 the back of a chair. I boxed it safely, and it nowstands in my collection : it is a 

 little worn.— Id. 



Occurrence of Nemophora pilella at Stockton. — In the beginning of May, last 

 year, I beat this insect out of a thorn-hedge, and again in June one or two others 

 fell to my lot. I may add that I have not seen any specimens so dark as those taken 

 by me. No doubt it only requires looking for by others to make them as fortunate as 

 myself. — Id. 



Note on Anther -ophagus nigricornis and Bombus sylvarum. — Mr. Smith, in his 

 admirable work on British bees, records the finding of Antherophagus glaber in the 

 nest of Bombus Derhamellus. This season I met with an instance of the manner in 

 which such insects may be transported thither. When hunting Bombi, in September 

 last, two peculiar motions of a neuter of B. sylvarum attracted my attention: it was 

 clinging to a thistle-head, and wriggling and twisting its legs about in all directions. 

 On getting hold of it I found that a large specimen of Antherophagus nigricornis had 

 seized the tarsus of a hind leg between its jaws, and was holding on like grim Death. 

 I put both into my bottle, and the Antherophagus retained its hold until both were 

 killed by the fumes of the laurel. — Thomas John Bold; Angas Court, Bigg Market, 

 Neivcastle-on-Tyne, December 27, 1855. 



Occurrence of Agabus pulchellus in Scotland. — I am indebted to Mr. Wailes, 

 of Newcastle, for a specimen of the Colymbetes pulchellus of Heer, captured by 

 Mr. Wailes, in company with others of the same species, in Loch Achray, and on the 

 north shore of Loch Katrine, in September, 1853. After giving this insect a most 

 careful examination, although having no doubt that Mr. Wailes has correctly named 

 it as the C. pulchellus of Heer, I still feel hesitation in considering it distinct as a 

 species, since it seems to me to differ chiefly from the too familiar A. maculatus in the 

 colour of the elytra, which are uniformly dark and immaculate. In answer to this 

 suggestion, Mr, Wailes writes, " The facies of the insect is very different from that of 

 C. maculatus ; it is much more elongate and smoother, and Heer draws the distinction 

 very accurately : it is not mentioned by Aube, whose work is anterior to Heer's.'' 

 Seeing my opinion opposed to that of such very careful and acute observers as Heer 

 and Mr. Wailes, I willingly withdraw it, too delighted to add another species to my 

 series of Colymbetes. — Edward Newman. 



Query as to the Eggs of Agabus. — Can any of your readers tell me where the eggs 

 of the Agabi are deposited, or if any of the species have been noticed with them 

 adhering to the legs or to the body as in Hydrous piceus ? My reasons for asking 

 these questions are as follows. In taking the species which I named dispar, I ob- 

 served that many of the females had attached to the hairs on the under side of the 

 anterior and intermediate femora (generally to the latter), bundles of a white granular 

 matter, which an examination with my pocket glass led me to believe were eggs. 

 This I was unable satisfactorily to determine, for not reaching home until long after 

 nightfall, they had to be set aside until next morning when I found that the crawling 

 of the insects over each other and upon the damp paper in the bottle, had so much 

 altered their appearance that I did not submit them to microscopic examination. In 

 thinking the matter over since, I am much inclined to believe that these bundles must 

 have been eggs: had it been a substance on which the species had been feeding, the 



