George : Some BritisJi Eartlimites. 455 



rather short, close together, shghtly curved, and pointing baclv- 

 wards, and are quite simple, without barbs or branches, differing 

 greatly from those already described. I think it likely that 

 further research ma}^ discover other species of Trombidium 

 with simple spines, and this fact alone must not be considered 

 specifically diagnostic of hicolor. This mite has also a pecu- 

 liar crista figured by Professor Sig Thor, in his pamphlet under 

 the name of T. filipes, which he considers to be the same as 

 T. hicolor. 



^ Tromhidiiim holosericeiun ; larva. One of the female mites 

 found in May was kept in a glass tube with a small piece of 

 moistened blotting paper. This mite laid a globular bundle 

 of smooth, round, red eggs. I removed the mite which w^as 

 still alive, hoping that the eggs would hatch. Time passed on 

 and I began to fear that I should be disappointed. However, 

 on July 30th, nearly three months after finding the mite, I was 

 delighted to find that the eggs had hatched, and numbers of the 

 larvae were alive and active. They were very small, and of a 

 bright, red, blood colour ; could run about nimbly on glass 

 backwards and forwards, apparently with equal ease ; did not 

 fall when the glass was turned upside down ; and reminded me 

 forcibly of the larvae of the \\'ater Mite Eylais. They were 

 rather coffin-shaped, and there was an appearance of segmen- 

 tation dividing the body into three portions. At the posterior 

 end, which was the narrowest, were four remarkably long, 

 straight and sharply-pointed bristles, strongly barbed, other 

 shorter barbed hairs were arranged in pairs on the body. Viewed 

 from above, when alive and without pressure, the palpi were 

 not perceptible, being carried imderneath the cephalothorax. 

 In Mr. Soar's figure slight pressure has caused the palpi to 

 become visible. On the last segment of the legs may be found 

 a long tenent hair not barbed (see figure c) . I do not know if 

 this larva has ever before been figured. Some of the larva 

 were kept alive until August 28th, and I did not observe much 

 change in their appearance. 



Trombidium fiiliginosum ; larva. I have also had the good 

 fortune to have eggs laid by one of my female specimens of 

 fuliginosum and from these have obtained living larvae of that 

 mite. Mr. Soar has made a very characteristic drawing (d)., 

 the little creature appears to be somewhat larger than that of 

 holosericeum ; it is more of an elongated oval, and the hairs are 

 slightly curved, and although they really end in a point, this 



1908 December r 



