Insects. 1357 



den green, varied with cupreous : the oviduct is as long as the abdomen : the anten- 

 nae are black, except the first joint which is fulvous : the knees and tarsi are fulvous, 

 and so are the tips of the fore tibiae : the wings are fuscous. The male is described in 

 the ' Entomological Magazine,' i. 136. The fly appears in April, and there is only one 

 generation in the year. — Francis Walker. 



Occurrence of Aepus fulvescens near Ventnor, Isle of Wight. — As I am not aware 

 that Aepus fulvescens has been hitherto recorded as occurring in this district ; I may 

 mention that I took one specimen on January 30th, adhering to the under side of a 

 stone below high water mark. It is remarkable that it should be taken so early in the 

 season, while I have not since been able to meet with it, the shingly nature of the 

 beach is certainly unfavorable to it, as it has little chance of escaping with whole 

 bones. — G. Guyon ; Ventnor, Isle of Wight. 



Deviation from the usual formula of Strice in Abax. — I know not whether the fol- 

 lowing case of monstrosity (if it can be so called) is sufficiently novel to be worth 

 notice ; but as it is the most decided case of the kind I have met with, I record it for 

 the benefit of the world in general, and of entomologists in particular. On the 5th of 

 March I took a male Abax striola, with the first and second striae (from the suture) 

 twice united, rather beyond the middle, leaving a small strialess space between. I 

 have taken several specimens from the same spot, but without meeting with a similar 

 example. — G. Guyon ; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, March 7th, 1846. 



*** It has occurred to me, and I have mentioned to one or two of my friends who 

 are of the same opinion ;— that it would be much assistance to naturalists, if the inside 

 of the wrappers of the ' Zoologist,' which are generally waste space, were devoted to re- 

 ceiving lists of duplicates, by which means exchanges of bird-skins, insects, &c, might 

 be made to a much greater extent than at present, as there are many naturalists in all 

 parts of the kingdom, able and willing to assist each other, but are unable to do so from 

 ignorance of their mutual wants. — G. Guyon. 



Remarkable instance of tenacity of Life. — Two years ago, whilst making a few pre- 

 parations to illustrate the anatomy of insects, I employed amongst others, a good many 

 Geotrupes. On Saturday, about noon, I severed the heads and abdomens of two spe- 

 cimens, leaving the bodies on my work-table. On Monday I accidentally perceived, 

 to my great astonishment, that the parts still showed manifest signs of life, by slowly 

 stretching and bending their legs. — J. Bladon ; Pontypool. 



Exploding property of Paussidce. — A friend of mine, resident at Coimbatore, ob- 

 served that several of the Paussidae which he collected exploded carbonic acid gas in 

 the same manner as Brachinus crepitans. — C. Home ; Clapham Common, March, 

 1846. 



Singular use for a Buprestis at Madras. — The children in Madras play with a large 

 common species of Buprestis, which has a green thorax, and brown elytra just in the 

 same way as the children here do with cockchafers, except that instead of the cruel ex- 

 pedient of pinning the captive, they pass a horse-hair round the body between the tho- 

 rax and elytra.— C. Home ; Clapham Common, March, 1846. 



Occurrence of Trypodendron domesticum in the vicinity of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. — 

 On the 31st of January, 1846, in the course of a short excursion on the banks of the 

 Derwent, near Axwell Park, four miles from Newcastle-upon Tyne, I was so fortunate 

 as to meet with Trypodendron domesticum, an insect rare in this country, and hitherto 

 found only in the south. It occurred in some old beech logs lying on the ground, pre- 

 ferring the driest. The trees having been felled for some time, were rather decayed 



