172 



H. WALLIS KEW: A HALF-DAY'S RAMBLE. 



Cneorhinus geminatus Fab. One specimen seen endeavouring to 

 ascend a steep slope of loose sand. 



Rhizobius litura Fab. At the roots of Senecio Jacobean. This 

 beetle was kindly named for me by the Rev. W. W. Fowler. 



Lagria hirta L. The abdomen of a dead specimen found upon the 

 sand. This beetle was very plentiful on the sandhills during a short 

 stay made at Mablethorpe in August last, swarming on Galium verum. 

 Agelastica halensis L. was also then very abundant on the stems of 

 grasses; Coccinella 2 2 -punctata L. and Cleonus sulcirostris L. were 

 taken, and Hypera punctata Fab. swarmed on the sands. The 

 sallows and willows behind the hills produce Cryptorhynckus lapathi^L. 

 and the larvae of the Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis L.). 



The only insect seen on the wing during the afternoon was an 

 ichneumon (Ophion luteus L.). It settled on the leafless twig of a 

 sallow-thorn bush, and was captured between the fingers just as it 

 took wing again. Mr. E. A. Fitch named this specimen. 



The only flowers which were plentiful on the sandhills were the 

 Bitter-cress (Cardamine hirsutd), the Vernal Whitlow-grass (Erophila 

 vulgaris) and the Chickweed {Stellaria media). 



On the beach various ' common objects of the sea-shore,' such as 

 sea urchins, skates' eggs, and the empty egg-clusters of the whelk, 

 were of course abundant. A single sea anemone was picked up at 

 high-water mark. It is a variety of Tealia crassicornis , but does 

 not agree with any of the four varieties mentioned by Mr. Gosse. 

 Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, to whom I submitted the specimen, describes 

 it as follows : — 



1 Tealia crassicornis Miiller, colour variety subobscura. 



Column dull brownish-green, tentacles dull pinkish above and dull 

 greenish below the central band, which is ill marked; disc dull greenish, 

 with a few reddish streaks radiating from the mouth.' 



The Tealia was attached to a fragment of Flustra foliacea L. 



The tide being high during the whole of the three hours, I was 

 unable to procure many marine shells. But among the dead shells 

 to be found near high-water mark were Pholas Candida, My a truncata, 

 Solen siliqua, Mactra siultdrum, Tellina balthica and var. rosea, Scrobicu- 

 laria piperata, Cardium edule, Mytilus modiolus, Pecte?i opercitlaris, 

 Ostrea edulis, Patella vulgata var. intermedia, Trochus cinerarius , 

 Hydrobia ulvce, and Buccinum undatum. Tellina balthica L. is in great 

 favour with children, who make ' neck-laces ' by threading large 

 numbers of the shells, passing the string through the holes which the 

 whelks have drilled. Most of the above have been kindly named 

 for me by Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell. 



Naturalist, 



