1868. J 189 
I may observe that a spocimon of Mr. Morloy's insect was, soon after its capture 
in Feb., 1866, sent by a friend of his to Mr. G. R. Crotch for determination ; bnt 
that gentleman, not being able to make it accord with hicolor, its evident ally, sent 
it to Mr. Janson (whose knowledge of the wood-feeders is nnequalled in this country) 
for further examination. Mr. Janson now informs me that ho has been too much 
occupied to give the insect his critical attention, and leaves the matter in my 
hands.— E. 0. Rye, 7, Park Field, Putney, S.W., lOt^ December, 1867. 
Note on Tomicus flavus, Wilkin, Wat. Cat. — When examining the Stephensian 
exponents of T. fiiscus above alluded to, I noticed that the solitary example of this 
species (which is queried in Wat. Cat.) in Stephens' Cabinet is a large immature 
specimen of T. dryogra/pjius, Er., already included in our list. — Id. 
Note on Mylla;na minima, Ktz., a species new to our lists. — I have long doubted 
whether the exponent of M. infuscata in my cabinet was really attributable to that 
species ; and now find, through the kindness of the Rev. A. Matthews, who has 
given me a specimen of the true infuscata, taken (very rarely) in Oxfordshire by 
him, that my insect is the minima of Kraatz (Ins. Deutschl., ii., 371). It is con- 
siderably narrower than M. infuscata, more uniformly coloured, with more slender 
antennae (which with the legs are yellowish), and shorter elytra. — Id. 
Note on the earlier stages of Cry otocephalus. — In the concluding livraison of 
Vol. iv. of " L'Abeille," M. Gabriel Tappes, of 25, Rue Blanche, Paris (who is 
collecting material for a work on the Cryptocephalidce, and desires notes, &c., 
however trivial, relating to any of the species comprised in that family) makes, 
among others, the following interesting observations : — 
" No Entomologist of the present day is unaware " (?) " that the females of aU 
the species of Cryptoceplvalus have on the last segments of the abdomen a small 
cavity, almost oval in outline. The males, also, have very frequently a depression 
in the same place, but never so deep or of the same form as in the other sex. 
This cavity has (like every work of the Creator) a special object, which a recent 
observation of M. Rouget has discovered. 
" The Cryptocephali, like the CVythrce, habitually envelop their eggs in their 
excrement, or at least in a secretion of the organ that produces it. It would seem 
that this operation is so necessary for the development of the larvae, that those 
which by chance are deprived of their protecting covering waste and die ia a few 
days time. For this enveloping operation the female necessarily uses it posterior 
legs only, and the egg would thus roll in all directions if it were not confined in 
some way. Here, then, the cavity comes into play. The female places it over 
the egg, which is thus as it were boxed in and immovable, and she can then work 
entirely at her ease in giving to its envelope, composed of little layers, those 
different and elaborated shapes which make it resemble certain buds or dried 
catkins. 
" Thus, then, we have the egg protected by its envelope against all external 
attacks. The Uttle larva which hatches from it is at first too soft to come out and 
search for food beyond its prison. In my opinion, it begins by feeding on its 
