THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
107 
devour it entirely ; any poor power- 
less beetle that comes in their way is 
speedily added to the list of victims ; even 
those hardest of all Coleoptera — the 
Curculionidce — I find deprived of legs 
and antennae, and eventually I believe 
the marauders attack each other, for their 
mutilated skeletons are scattered in all 
directions, showing the truth of the old 
adage, that “ two of a trade never 
agree.” The species I find are Carabus 
violaceus, Pterostichus madidus and P. 
melanarius, and sometimes a member of 
another amiable family, Ocypus olens , 
drops in to assist at the revels. — J. W. 
Douglas, 6, Kingsivood Place, Lee; 
July 29. 
Insects on the “ Flat Holme." 1 — I 
yesterday joined a party of excursionists 
by steamer to the “Flat Holme,” in the 
Bristol Channel. As a collecting-ground 
it contains but a limited area, the entire 
circumference of the islet not exceeding 
three-fourths of a mile. The day was, 
however, favourable, and I was fortunate 
enough to take the following very local 
insects in tolerable abundance: — Cleni- 
opus sulphureus, Geotrupes lee vis, and 
Hipparchia Semele. The first-mentioned 
beautiful beetle I took principally on the 
wing, and a few on the blossoms of the 
thistle: the second abounded everywhere. 
At the instance of the President of the 
Cotteswold Naturalists’ Club — who was 
present with many members of that 
Society — I made a short address to the 
assembled excursionists, inviting their 
attention to my prizes, which were 
handed round for examination, when I 
hope I may have succeeded in inoculating 
some of my hearers with a desire to know 
more of the beautiful organisms sub- 
mitted to their observation. — W. V. 
Guise, Elmore Court; July 30. 
Ants'-nest Beetles near Monte Video . — 
I have taken two species of Myrmeco- 
philous Coleoptera residing amongst the 
ants, and another species which seems to 
be in some way connected with them, as 
I never find it except on or under stones, 
under which ants are, but I have never 
found it actually amongst them. — Rich. 
Shield, Calle de Solis, Monte Video, 
South America ; June 28. 
Hymenoptera. 
Megachile centuncularis . — At the back 
of this house two rose trees grow up the 
wall, one of which is selected by this bee 
for her operations, the leaves being larger 
and thinner than those of the other tree, 
which are never touched by her. She 
comes in a direct line over the tall trees 
at the bottom of the garden, and soon 
selects a leaf. On this she settles, gene- 
rally, but not always, with her head to 
the footstalk, and taking the leaf between 
her legs, rapidly cuts out a piece in the ' 
manner often described, sometimes cir- 
cular, but often oval, her operations be- 
ing no doubt guided by the requirements 
of her nest, the oval pieces being for the 
outside walls, and the circular ones for 
the partitions. It has been said that she 
poises herself on her wings in order to 
avoid tearing the leaf or to hinder her 
and the piece from falling to the ground 
when the latter is cut off, but I narrowly 
watched this one, and in every instance 
her wings were motionless. As the 
cutting proceeded, she curled the piece 
under her, and when the piece was se- 
parated both she and it fell downwards 
for a short distance ; then, and not till 
then, did she open her wings to arrest 
the downward tendency, and soon re- 
covering herself, mounted upwards with 
her burden. Sometimes, but not always, 
she rested on the palings close by, and 
then, rising upwards, proceeded in a 
direct line to her nest. — J. W. Douglas, 
6, Kingswood Place, Lee ; July 30. 
Sirex Gigas. — I see an announcement 
of the capture of one of this species (in 
or near a pine wood) in this week’s 
‘ Intelligencer.’ About two months since 
I met with a good specimen in ihe High 
Street, Portland Town. How am I to 
