4° 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[February 



writes me that he has "examined a long series of N. biguttatus and 

 " 4-punctatas and finds specimens with three, four, and five 

 " punctures, and that the position of these varies in each instance. 

 " The first punctures are constant, and are separated from base of 

 " elytra by about one line in distance. The lower punctures not only 

 " vary in their distance from the basal punctures, but are often un- 

 " equidistant." To demonstrate this variation he has kindly sent 

 particulars respecting the series in his collection, which I have 

 described as under : — - 



No. i. Two punctures on each elytron ; the hinder ones equidistant, and separated 



from basal punctures by one line. 

 No. 2. Similar to No. i, but hinder punctures only half-a-line distant. 

 No, 3. Punctures irregular. Hinder puncture on right elytron about one-line dis- 

 tant from basal puncture ; on left elytron the distance between punctures 



is one-third of a line only. 

 No. 4. Similar to No. 3, but the distance between punctures is reversed — that is, 



right elytron one-third and left one line distant. 

 No. 5. Right elytron with two punctures ; left has but one puncture. 

 No. 6. Right elytron, one puncture ; left, two punctures. 

 No. 7. Right elytron, two punctures, close together ; left, one puncture. 

 No. 8. Right elytron, two punctures close together ; left, two punctures, the hinder 



one being a line distant. 

 No. 9. Five punctures. Right, elytron, two punctures close together ; left, two 



punctures very close, and a third one about half-a-line distant from second. 

 No. ro. Five punctures. Right elytron, three punctures equidistant ; left, two 



punctures, distant one line. 

 Mr. West has taken " a number of this species in company with 

 " N . palustris, and occasionally with N. biguttatus, and could pick it 

 "out at a glance, as it is a much neater insect than either of the 

 "latter." 



N. substriatus , Wat. — In recording this as a new species in Annual, 

 1859, Mr. Janson says: — " Distinguished from N. biguttatus, F., ...by 

 " the parallel frontal sulci, the fine striae on the posterior part of the 

 "head immediately behind the eyes; by the longer, narrower, and 

 " more parallel elytra ; by the interstices between the suture and the 

 " first, and between the second and third striae, being finely shagreened, 

 " imparting an opaqueness to those parts, which contrasts strongly 

 " with the broad glabrous space between the first and second striae ; 

 "... the sculpture throughout is much finer, and the colour invariably 

 " more brassy, than in biguttatus." In the same book Mr. Janson 

 further observes that "N. substriatus appears to be very generally 



