Insects. 5855 



Leuctra ftisciventris = L. cylindrica of Pictet. 

 Leuctra abdominalis is a new species. 



H. Hagen. 



Occurrence of Deilephila Euphorbia at Taunton. — Perhaps it may be worth re- 

 cording that Deilephila Euphorbia? was captured here two or three weeks ago. It is 

 rather singular, as we are twenty miles from any sea coast, and more than that dis- 

 tance from any place likely to afford food fur the larva. There is also a specimen in 

 the collection (now in the Museum) of the late W. Baker, Esq., which I suppose to 

 have been taken in this neighbourhood. — W. G. Rawlinson ; Taunton, October 21, 

 1857. 



Note on Pterophorus Loewii, Zeller, a Species new to Britain. — Last August, while 

 at Southport, amongst other things T took a plume which I did not know. As I could 

 not go again, I requested my friend Mr. Davis to take all the plumes he could for me, 

 and shortly afterwards he sent me several specimens, evidently the same species as 

 the one I took, but much finer; and I at once concluded it was a species new to our 

 list. Having forwarded a pair of fine specimens to Mr. Stainton, he writes me, 

 "Your plume, as you anticipated, is quite new to this country ; it has hitherto only 

 been found in Italy and at Rhodes." — C. S. Gregson ; Edge Lane, Stanley, Liverpool, 

 November, 1857. 



Capture of Hydroporus ferrugineus. — On the 10th of March, last year, I had the 

 pleasure of taking, out of a horse-pond near us, an interesting-looking Hydroporus, 

 bearing some resemblance to a pale specimen of memnonius, yet in many points un- 

 like anything I had previously picked up, either in this neighbourhood or anywhere 

 else. On referring to the descriptions in Stephens's ' Manual ' of the species still un- 

 represented in my collection, 1 found that that of H. ferrugineus came nearest the 

 characteristics of the little stranger ; but, for the sake of greater certainty, the speci- 

 men was submitted to the scrutiny of Dr. Power, whom I, like the editor of the 'Zoo- 

 logist,' delight in regarding as " the referee from whose decision in such cases there is 

 no appeal." After comparing the Scotch insect with the specimen in Stephens's 

 cabinet, his verdict was " Not ferrugineus." Some time ago I fell in with Aube's de- 

 scription of H. Victor, which Dr. Schaum, in his ' Revision of the British Hydrocan- 

 tharida?' (Zool. 1887), gives as a synonym of H. ferrugineus, and little doubt was 

 thereafter left on my mind that I had found the insect's name as well as its local ha- 

 bitation. Both Dr. Schaum, to whose labours British entomologists are largely 

 indebted, and Dr. Power have homologated my conclusion ; the former, however, still 

 believing that he is correct in his statement as to the synonymy. This, as he observes, 

 may be easily reconciled with the opinion of the latter, by supposing that the original 

 specimen of H. ferrugineus has been inadvertently misplaced. Still it might be asked, 

 With what has it changed place ? This rare species, which my friend the Rev. Ham- 

 let Clark, who has given so much attention to our native water beetles, has not met 

 with in any of the collections with which he is acquainted, has occurred again, 

 sparingly, this summer, but not in the horse-pond, notwithstanding many an anxious 

 search. The truth is, stagnant water does not seem to be its element, any more than 

 the salt water was to the insects found by Mr. Darwin off the coast of South America. 

 It delights in streams, and companies with H. Davisii, Agabus guttatus and A. fonti- 



