186 
[ January, 
some of them possess wing-scales, indicating complete development. I had pre- 
viously seen only single examples, and generally they came from boxes of foreign 
insects. The boxes in which they came (alive) to me have been committed to the 
flames, so as to avoid a possible addition to the Fauna of my collections. R. 
McLachlan, Lewisham : November 27th, 1880. 
On the metamorphoses of Hlepharoeerid.ee. — As an addition to Baron Osten- 
Sacken’s communication (ante p. 130) on Dr. Fritz Muller’s discovery of the 
metamorphoses of Blepharoceridce , I beg to call the attention of Dipterologists to 
my report on the same subject in Carus’s Zoologischer Anzeiger, No. 51, April, 1880, 
p. 134. It treats on the metamorphoses of the European Blepharocera fasciata, 
both sexes of which, according to Prof. Mik’s discovery of the 3 , have the eyes 
close to each other, of which Baron Osten-Sacken convinced himself at A ienna, but 
has forgotton to point it out in his notice. — F. Brauer, Vienna : A ov. 27th, 1880. 
A colony of Ptinella denticollis in Warwickshire. — A short time agr I found 
an example of the rather uncommon Ptinella denticollis, at Solihull near here, and 
which was kindly determined for me by the Rev. A. Matthews. This led me to 
engage in a svstematic hunt for the species, in which I have been very successful. 
Under dead bark at Knowlc, I recently discovered quite a large colony of this little 
beetle, some two hundred specimens of which I have captured without apparently 
diminishing their numbers. Both males and females occurred, the latter being, as 
usual, the least abundant. — W. G. Blatcii, Green Lane, Smallheath, near Birming- 
ham : November 20th, 1880. 
Capture of Sitaris muralis in the nest of Bombus terrestris. — In August last 
in a nest of Bombus terrestris, having its entrance in a wall supporting the earth on 
one side of a road, cut in the side of a hill, near Woodchester Park, Gloucester, I 
found an imago of Sitaris muralis. As there were also several strange looking larva; 
in the nest 1 took it home, unfortunately I ivas unable to watch them, and only one 
other Sitaris developed, the others all died. — II. Sebastian B. Gates, Dominican 
Priory, Woodchester: December, 1880. 
Larrce of Acronycta alni at Bristol, — It may bo interesting to some of your 
readers to know, that about the second week of July last, 1 found two larva; of 
Acronycta alni in our garden, on some French beans, but I have little doubt that 
they fell from an apple tree that overhung the beans. One was in very good condition, 
fresh and beautifully coloured ; the other had several of the horsehair-like appendages 
broken off ; and the 6tripes on each segment, instead of being (as in the other) 
yellow, were a dingy white. The first died soon after I captured it (neither of 
them fed while I had them), but the other changed to pupa, and is I think free 
from ichneumon. — Philip Ghat, 20, Arlev Hill, Bristol : December 4th, 1880. 
p.S. This species, I am given to understand, has been found before in Bristol, 
but very rarely. — P. G. 
An additional food-plant for Laverna epilobiella, Botner. — In July last, I mot 
with four larva; of this insect feeding on JEpilobium montanum. One moth was 
bred in the beginning of August: the others, having escaped or died. — J. E. 
Fletcher, Happy Land, Worcester: November, 1880. 
