THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
there is no difficulty in finding specimens of 
Bed dim circum septus Germ., L i c inus gran u l at us 
Bej., Silpha Olivieri Bedel , Adda Melitana Unit. 
a new local species, Necrobia rufipes Degeer and 
the small Thorictus grandicoliis Germ., Anihi- 
cus hispidus .Rossi and A. formica ri us Goeze. 
In January and February and also so early as 
December the black oil beetle Aleloe tuccius Rossi 
is frequently seen in country roads, in fields or 
grassy ground, the Meloe pur pun ascens Germ, of a 1 
metallic dark green or purple is not so common, | 
but may be seen at Marsa, Fort Manoel and in 
gardens. I must note with regard to oil beetles 
as a fact of not frequent occurrence that some 
years ago I collected at Marsa.. a specimen of M. 
tuccius coupled with another of M. pur n ura seen s. 
Not knowing then their specific difference I was 
so much surprised that I considered the two 
species as the sexes of tho same one, but I soon 
found that was a very exceptional case. 
With oil beetles appear specimens of our ende- 
mic and interesting new species of Hapalus , which j 
Mr. Reitter has had the kindness to name II. \ 
Caruanae. This pretty insect is found from 
January to February on walls or on the grass by 
the roadsides at Musta, Attarcl, Naxaro, St. Paul’s 
Bay etc. The male of a deeper tint than the 
female has its thorax and head covered with 
velvety hairs and possesses stronger antennae; the 
female has generally a voluminous abdomen, 
which the orange elytrae marked with a bla k 
spot at their base cover hardly by two thirds, but 
after the laying of a long uninterrupted string of 
eggs in any imbricate disposition the abdomen 
attains its usual dimensions and the elytrm 
cover again the whole body. All the parts of the 
insect have a marked smell of red pepper. 
It is not to be expected in Malta abundance of 
water-bettles, but in and about water pools and 
slow running streamlets at Imtahleb, Ghirghenti, 
Gneina etc, under stones or among water-algae one 
is sure to tincl Helochares lividus Forst., Berosus 
signaticollis Charp., Agabus nebulosu's Forst. 
Far mis algiricus Luc. and Ilydroporus tesscl- 
latus Drapiez, whilst the shilling black Mela- 
dura coriaceum Lap. darts rapidly in water 
reservoirs often coming to the surface for a new 
plunge. 
Sphcericluim bipustv latum Marsh another species 
belonging to the Hydrophilidae is common enough 
in animal or vegetable refuse. 
Spring with its enlivening influence and the gay 
array of flowers which it brings into blossom 
haunts out of their winter retreats hosts of insects 
which begin to appear at the time of the spring 
passage of birds in the Island. The enumerable 
larvae and pupae of beetles which had been waiting 
the first warm days come out and 
“Myriads on myriads, insect armies waft’ 
“Keen in the poison’d breeze; and wasteful eat” 
“Through buds and bark into the blacken’d 
core” 
“Their eager way.” 
This is the best time for collecting, and the 
valleys gardens and fields yield to the entomolo- 
gists a most acceptable harvest of flowei hunting 
beetles. Among these our two species of Barbary 
bugs, Maltese “Busuf”, Ep iconic tis squalida 
Scop, and Leucocelis funesta Foda occupy a 
prominent place as two ol' our most destructive 
beetles. No flower is safe from their attacks and 
they destroy the caducous white petals of the 
hawthorn as they spoil the blossoms of the most 
elegant cultivated roses or lilies; for them nature’s 
contrivances to protect flowers are of no effect, 
they tear through the corollas of the snapdragon 
no less than the delicate perianths of the wild 
tulip and of the star of Bethlem. They are a 
scourge in the iloral world, their visits meaning 
certain ruin to pistils, stamens and ovaries, and 
though they may help by their hairy elytrae the 
fertilization of flowers, the benefit derived there- 
from bears no proportion to the great damages 
they cause. 
The branched flower-stalks of the asphodel carry 
lots of a pretty longicorn the Agapanthia cynarae 
Germ, and the Composites swarm with Attali , 
F silothrix and. A athreni which make themselves 
useful in their fertilization and offer to the ento- 
mologist the bright green or bleu P silothrix cyaneus 
Oliv. and P. melanostoma Oliv., Attains d.almati 
nusEr., Haplocnemus pectinicornis Luc., Anthre- 
nus fasciatus Herbst. and A. verbasci L. Drilus 
jiavescens Rossi may be captured in land shells. 
Among weevils Mylabris imbrico? nis Panz M. 
bimaculata Oliv. and M. laticolLis Boh. will be 
found on Umbellifers, Bigger flowers are subject 
