i893.] THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 151 



with Esper's description. This is interesting and important, and will 

 be especially so to those who have always upheld the distinctness of 

 the species. It will be remembered that our contributor Mr. F. N. 

 Pierce, satisfied himself from an examination of the anal organs of 

 the cJ, not only that it was distinct from any other British species, but 

 that fertile union was not probable between it and any other. Mr. 

 Fletcher not only obtained hybrids between the three commoner 

 species, but found the hybrids fertile. He quite failed, however, in 

 crossing meliloti with any other species. — John E. Robson, Hartlepool. 



Acherontia atropos at Hartlepool. — A fine specimen of A cher- 

 ontia atropos was brought me on Whit-Monday, 22nd May. — -John T. 

 Brown, West Hartlepool. 



Stigmonota dorsana, near Aberdeen. — I took two specimens of 

 Stigmonota dorsana, near Aberdeen, last week. I understand that very 

 few of this insect have been taken in Britain during the last forty or 

 fifty years. — Arthur Horne, Aberdeen, 3rd June, 1893. 



Isle of Man. — Whilst collecting last evening (June 13th) in the 

 garden adjoining Sulley Parsonage, I was most successful in taking a 

 beautiful fresh specimen of Plusia festuca whilst hovering over flowers 

 of Red Valerian. This is the first specimen I have ever seen in the 

 Island. The flowers of this plant have proved most attractive during 

 the past ten days, and last evening about 9.30, 1 also took the following 

 from the blossoms, Plusia chrysitis, P. gamma, P. pulchrina, P. iota, 

 besides a few A. triplasia, D. capsincola, and C. umbratica. — H. Short- 

 ridge Clarke, Sulley Parsonage, Lezayre, June 14th, 1893. 



Oxfordshire. — Nearly all insects are a month early. Sugar is a 

 complete failure, probably owing to the great quantity of "honey-dew." 

 Evening ' netting and beating by day produce a fair number of 

 Grometers. Light does well in spite of East wind. — J. H. D. Beales, 

 Kiddington Rectory, Woodstock. 



The Early Season, Coleoptera. — You refer to the extraordinary 

 season, but things seem scarce where I have been, though I have not 

 had much opportunity. The dry weather has not produced either the 

 number or qualit}^ of insects in Coleoptera it appears to have done in 

 Lepidoptera. I went to Oxshott on May 5th, and took Clytus mysticus, 

 C. arietis, Polyopsia prceusta, Grammoptera tabaccicolor, and a good series of 

 Crepidodera helxines. On 12th May, I went to Loughton for species of 

 Rhynchites, but got none. Whit-Monday w r as a scorcher. I started 

 for Woking and walked from thence to Farnham. The canal was 

 teeming with Donacia. I took over a dozen Donacia bicolora ( sagittaria ), 

 several of the typical D. discolor (comari), 20 or 30 D. thalassina; caught 

 two Corymbites tessellatus on the wing, and swept three others. Found 

 a colony of Galemca sagiitarice, three or four Haltica ericeti, Telmatopliilus 



