no 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[June 



species being met with. Among these were Leistus rufescens, Stenus 

 similis, S. tarsalis, S. picipes, Anthohiiim torquattm, Melanophthahna 

 gibbosa, Atomaria atricapilla, Throscus dennestoides, Telephonts testaceus. 

 T . flavilabris, T. littiratus, Thymalus limbatus, Thyamis lurida, Gastrophysa 

 polygoiii, Lema cyanella, Phratora vitelline, Phyllobius alneti, and P, 

 pomonm, while the beautiful hemipteron Calocoris sex-guttatus was 

 fairly common. 



September ist-i^tli. — The early part of this holiday was spent at 

 Hednesford, in Cannock Chase, but owing to the extreme heat and 

 consequent burning up of everything likely to harbour beetles, my 

 game was not only scarce, but even what did occur was of the 

 commonest. Two days there produced only such insects as Leistus 

 ferrngineus, Bemhidium lampros 3.nd femoratum , Harpalus proteus, Brady- 

 cellus cognatus (in profusion), B. similis, B. harpalinus, Calathiis flavipes, 

 Olisthopiis rotundatus, Bolitobius pygmants (in a fungus), Qiiedius molochinus, 

 Q. boops, Othitis myrinecophilus, Corticaria fiilva, M elanophthalma fuscula ^ 

 Aphodius depressus, A. rttfipes, and Stroi)hosomus limbatus. One speci- 

 men of Amara lunicollis, and a single (dead) Typhceus vulgaris were 

 picked up. Several very small and exceptionally brilliant specimens 

 (all females) of Geotrupes stercorarius were taken while flying in the 

 hottest sunshine. In one lane Agelastica halensis swarmed on Galium 

 saxatile, and all were of a bright, brassy green, so different from the 

 blue-green Wallasey specimens that I did net at first recognize the 

 species. 



The remainder of this holiday w^as spent in London and at 

 Broadstairs ; but although my visit to the latter watering-place 

 had been looked forward to as promising great things in the beetle 

 line, my expectation was doomed to disappointment. Everything 

 was so scorched up, as a result of a fortnight of brilliant weather 

 without rain, that insects of all kinds were very scarce ; indeed, with 

 the exception of a few plants of mallow in a sheltered situation, the 

 only chance of obtaining specimens was by searching beneath half- 

 putrid heaps of seaweed above high-water mark. Here among a pro- 

 fusion oi Amara trivialis, A. familiaris, and Cafius xantholoma, I met 

 with a few Aiiiava siiiiildta, one A. cuiitiiiua, one A. consulavis, several 

 Oinalinin la-viiisculuin, [xwd '<i iew AleocJinra algarum und A . obscurclla. 

 By searching beneath the plants of mallow mentioned above I found 

 Metabletus foveola (common; and M . truncatellus, Myrmedonia canalicidata 



