112 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[June 



D. nigriventris, Thorns. — " Sandy coasts, river banks, in flood 

 refuse, &c. Common. Kent : Gravesend, Chatham, Sheerness, 

 Whitstable. Surrey: Walton-on-Thames " (G. C. Champion, "Kent 

 and Surrey Coleoptera "). Occurs also at Rainham, Essex. "Under 

 very dry tidal refuse at Camber. I once took a single specimen near 

 Langley Fort, Eastbourne" (W. H. Bennett). "This species occurs 

 on our heaths during summer, under stones among the heather ; 

 Hes.wall, Thurstaston, and Bidston '' (W. E. Sharp). Taken in same 

 localities, under heath, by R. Wilding. Captured in some numbers 

 by Mr. Robson, at Hartlepool. "I discovered this species on Bidston 

 Hill, in February, 1882, and have since taken it there on several 

 occasions. ... It occurs under ling and heath, among the dead 

 leaves'* (Dr. Ellis, " Liverpool Coleoptera"). Ireland: "Recorded 

 from near Dublin" (W. F. Johnson). " Sparingly in flood refuse near 

 Poule-na-Phouca '' (H. G. Cuthbert). 



D. vectt'usis. Rye. — " Sandy coasts and river banks, in flood 

 refuse, &c. Rare. Kent : Gravesend, Chatham, Sheerness" (G. C. 

 Champion, " Kent and Surrey Coleoptera'"'. Dorset : Luhvorth and 

 Kimmeridge (C. W. Dale, Appendix to " Lepidoptera of Dorset- 

 shire")." "A single specimen at roots of grass, Fairlight. The most 

 persistent searching has failed to produce others " (W. H. Bennett, 

 Hastings). 



D. sigiiia, Rossi, is placed next to D. vectensis in Fowler's Cole- 

 optera of the British Islands ;" which insect it resembles in shape and 

 size, but the tliorax is generally of unicolorous, testaceous red, without 

 darker shade on disc ; the abdomen is also pale, but sometimes darker 

 at margins. Occurs " in marshy places, in flood refuse, &c. Rare. 

 Kent : Westerham, taken by Rev. H. S. Gorham. Surrey: Dorking, 

 Egham, banks of Thames " (G. C. Champion, " Kent and Surrey 

 Coleoptera"). 



D. jiielaiioceplialns, Dej. — Generally a very common species in 

 England, and occurs in vegetable refuse, under hedges, at roots of 

 plants, on tidal banks, moss, &c. Widely distributed. Ireland : 

 " Fairly common here (Armagh), by sweeping, and in damp moss. 

 Also recorded from Belfast and Dublin " ( W. F. Johnson). 



* I have perused this little work with much pleasure. Mr. Dale deals exhaustively 

 with the lepidopterous species, but records only " a few of the chief rarities " of the Cole- 

 optera found in Dorsetshire ; the list occupying but five pages. — G.A.L. 



