THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



83 



by a thick growth of reed, sedge and other 

 marsh plants. It would form an interesting 

 subject for a picture, waiting patiently 

 behind this lamp at one o'clock in the 

 morning, my trousers rolled above my knees, 

 and my net over my shoulders ready for 

 action at a moment's notice. Although five 

 lamps were upon the fen, each about a half 

 a mile apart, nothing was taken on these 

 two nights of any consequence, except one 

 male M. Avundinis, which did not happen to 

 fall to my lot. Owing to the heavy rains 

 most of the insects were worn, and out of 

 the few that came to light scarcely any were 

 worth pinning. Amongst my captures were 

 E. apiciaria, N. senex, H. tmca (i), Cphrag- 

 mifellns, besides a few commoner things. In 

 the day time we searched for larvae of 

 Machaon, but found very few, and those only 

 small, some being still in the egg state. In 

 beetles Lina poptili was abundant upon the 

 sallows, and a few Chrysomela graminis were 

 also found. Although, no doubt Wicken is 

 a delightful collecting place in a good 

 season, and with fine weather, three days 

 was enough of the kind we had then, and 

 we left disgusted. 



We next tried Epping Forest, but with 

 even less results, for the only insects taken 

 worth a pin, v/ere about six A . prunaria, 

 most of which I spoilt in the hopes of 

 obtaining eggs. I got the eggs however, 

 but the larvae all died in a very young state. 

 The poor results of these two places blighted 

 my hopes for Abbot's Wood, and we turned 

 towards home, but determined to make an- 

 other eflort at Barnwell Wold, in Northamp- 

 tonshire. Here the results were almost the 

 same, the only insects in any abundance being 

 the flies, especially ^/i^z;/"a//s, which made our 

 I hands and faces bleed by their bites. A . 

 Galathea which I have before seen there 

 almost like a snow-shower, was only to be 

 had singly, by hard running or sly cunning. 

 Of Aglaia of which before, I have seen half 

 a score on the wing at once, we only saw 



three, two of which we procured, and though 

 they were damaged specimens, we were glad 

 enough of them, as I had undertaken this 

 journey at the instance of two or three Field 

 Clubs, which contained many beginners, and 

 to whom such insects would have been a 

 prize ; and yet though my wife and I worked 

 hard during the whole fortnight of our 

 journey, we did not obtain as many insects 

 as we should have obtained in a single 

 day in a good season. 



Early in August I spent two days in 

 Upper Wharfedale, and there made my 

 first acquaintance with Erehia Blandina, 

 which was plentiful in its local habitat. 

 Contrary to the other journies, the weather 

 during this was delightful, and a botanical 

 friend and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves 

 and planned another journey for next sea- 

 son before we left the place. 



NOTES ON COLEOPTERA, 

 FOR BEGINNERS. 



By Dr. J. W. Ellis and Mr. Smedley, 

 Liverpool. 



Family CICINDELID^. 

 Genus CICINDELA. 

 The insects belonging to this group, 

 which are generally known as " tiger " 

 beetles, are easily distinguished by their 

 very prominent sickle-shaped jaws, which 

 cross each other when closed ; by their 

 prominent eyes ; by the upper lip (lahvum ) 

 being very large and (in the British species 

 with the exception of sylvatica) white ; and 

 by the elytra, which are usually green or 

 bronze with white or cream-coloured mark- 

 ings. The British species (with the excep- 

 tion of Germanica, which measures about 

 half an inch) are usually about three- 

 quarters of an inch in length. They in- 

 habit sandy situations and (except germanica) 

 fly in the hottest sunshine with great 

 rapidity. 



