Observations on some species of Orina. 5 



on July 10, but after nine days obtained both sexes. He 

 describes the pairing, which he says lasts all day. Refer- 

 ring to having previously dealt with 0. alpestris (D. E. Z. 

 1885), he describes in some detail the egg-laying of 0. 

 intricata, describes the larva, how it assumes its activity 

 just after being laid, and how voracious it is. The food of 

 these was Senecio nemorensis, and a large Petasites, prac- 

 tically the same as of 0. cacalize. The difference between 

 the larvae of 0. alpestris and 0. intricata is noticed. 



M. Schiodte's observations on Staphylinidae (Aleocharids) 

 in termites' nests appeared in 1856. His specimens were too 

 much altered in spirit to enable him to make anything of 

 the interior anatomy of the beetle, but in the mass filling 

 the distended $ abdomen he found eggs and larvae in all 

 stages of development, many of the latter being fully 

 matured for external existence. 



In recording our notes, the primary difficulty is to know 

 what names our insects are entitled to, and as there 

 seemed to be no equally satisfactory way of solving this 

 problem, we submitted the specimens to Herr J. Weise for 

 his opinion. We are able, therefore, to give the deter- 

 mination of the four species noticed on his authority. 



The first species we dealt with, that taken at Pontresina 

 (in the wood on the way up to Muottas Pontresina and 

 elsewhere), is thus determined to be Orina vittigera, Suffr. 

 It is probably not the same as that observed by M. 

 Perroud, and called by him 0. speciosa, Panz. (superoa, 

 Olivier), 0. vittigera not apparently reaching so far north as 

 his locality. His beetle was attached to Laszrpitium 

 latifolium, whilst ours was confined to Peacedanum ostrutli- 

 ium. We saw the Laserpitium frequently, but always 

 without any beetles. The 0. superoa we met with at 

 Guarda was possibly the same as his ; the larvae of this ate 

 the Peucrdanum, and also took readily to Angelica sylves- 

 tris, which the 0. vittigera would merely nibble. It is 

 possible, however, that there is a greater range of food- 

 plant than we observed, since we know that many insects 

 are at first indifferent, which of a number of plants they 

 eat, but are averse, even to the extent of starvation, to eat- 

 ing afterwards any but the species they began with. Mr. 

 Burrows' recent observations on the Geometrid moth 

 Euchloris smaragdaria well illustrate this circumstance. 



What we saw on several occasions was a beetle placing 

 on a leaf, generally on the underside, as she would place 



