148 THE YOUNG 



(C. (snas) build in low bushes," but this is 

 by no means always the case. We find 

 their nests in holes in trees, generally in 

 apple trees; and Morris says they build 

 either in holes in trees, or on the ground 

 under some bush, or sometimes in a deserted 

 rabbit burrow. I did not know they ever 

 built in bushes. — N. Prescott Decie. 



Captures near Liverpool. — January 

 iSth. — At roots of trees in Eastham Wood, 

 besides pupae of Taniocamjpa and P. ^ilo- 

 saria, I took the following beetles : — Zeistus 

 fulvibarbiSf L, rufescens, Dromius quadrino- 

 tatusy Anchomemis prasinus^ A. parum-jpunc- 

 tatuSf Calathns vielanocejjhalus, Tacliyporus 

 hypnoruTTiy T. ohtusus^ Philonthus intermedius 

 (new to the district) , P. laminatm, 0. csneus, 

 Stemis providiis, and A2)hodvus rujipes. Mr. 

 Smedley took a hibernating specimen of 

 Necroplwrus hwniator at the foot of a tree. 



February nth. — Bidston Hill. Larvae of 

 Agrotis porphyrea fairly abundant on heath 

 (Erica, cinerea), which they seem to prefer 

 to the ling (calluna). Cases of Coleoplwra 

 cespititiella very abundant on the seed of 

 the rush. I took a long series of Bradycellus 

 similis under heath, among the dead leaves. 



Ma/rch ist. — Storeton fir plantations. I 

 took two specimens of Trachea piniperda 

 and one of Larentia mnUistrigaria sitting on 

 the tree trunks. Coccinella oblongo-guttata 

 was very abundant, and C. iS-guttata fairly 

 common on the fir trunks, the former being 

 variable in its markings. If any of the 

 readers of the Y.N. would like living speci- 

 mens of this fine insect I shall be glad to 

 supply them in the course of a week or so. 



March 3rd. — Wallasey sandhills. ISyssia 

 zonaria fairly common. At the meeting of 

 our Entomological Society on Monday 

 evening last, Mr. Nicholas Cooke remarked 

 that he had found this species emerged on 

 the loth of last February— a month earlier 

 than its usual time, and a proof— if such 

 were wanting — of the mildness of the season. 

 I have bred a number of females of this 



NATUEALIST. 



insect — the larvae of which were exceedingly 

 abundant last summer — but only, so far, a 

 single male. Several of my friends have 

 also noticed that the females seem much 

 easier to breed than the males. Bombyx 

 rubi larvae are just emerging from their 

 winter quarters, as also are the larvae of 

 Arctia fuliginosa. Aphodins mquinatus was 

 flying about in the few gleams of sunshine 

 during the afternoon. This is much earlier 

 than I have seen this insect — which is a 

 favourite of mine — in previous years. This 

 also I shall be glad to send alive to any 

 young (or old) coleopterists. I should feel 

 obliged if your readers who know this genus 

 would kindly let me have lists of the species 

 of Aphodius which occur in their respective 

 localities, with any notes as to abundance, 

 or scarcity, or habitat, which they can 

 attach to the lists.— Dr. John W. Ellis, 

 loi, Everton Read, Liverpool, March 4th, 

 1882. 



THE BIRMINGHAM & MIDLAND 

 COUNTIES NATURALIST 

 FIELD CLUB. 



An excursion was made on Saturday, 4th 



March, 1882, to Sutton Chase, by a few 



members of the above club. We started 



from New Street Station, by 2.15 p.m. train, 



and reached there just before 3.0 o'clock. 



We commenced operations in Holly Hurst, 



by digging for pupse. Afterwards we had 



a search for moths, and took great quantities 



of Phigalia, Pilosaoria, and Hybernia Progem- 



memaria. The weather was very fine all 



the time. Squire Bath kindly invited us to 



his house to tea, where we spent a very 



pleasant evening, looking at his collections. 



We returned home again by the 9.15 train. 



IN RE AUTUMNARIA, 



It is due to Mr. Gregson that we should 

 enter into some little explanation with le- 

 gard to the production of the following letter, j 

 with which we hope this unpleasant con- I 



