" THE NEW FOREST, JUNE 1917. \.ft

BY JAMES ,r. w.vriCER, M.A., r.:n^., f.l.s;-. .ax

From June 7tli to 28th Mr. G. C. Champion and I were ^te: of om" old friend Dr. D. Sharp at Brocdvenhui-st, and the experiences during this time of two entomologists, who may fairly lay claim to the title of " veterans," in this classic locality, may not he devoid of interest.

Onr visit was attended, on the whole, with very fair results as regards collecting, and the only drawhack to its complete enjoyment was tlie fact that our genial host, owing to indifferent health, was unahle to accompan}^ us on an}' of our excursions.

We Avere favoured with excellent weather during practically the whole of our stay, and the Forest was looking its very hest, and teemed with insect-life, including the inevitable biting Tabanid flies, which were in more than their usual force, and the still more annoying and insidious " midges,'' which in some shady situations made continuous work almost inipossible. The abundance of dragon-flies, especially of the beautiful blue and green Calopferyx, along the forest streams and in the moist parts of the enclosures, was also noteworthy. One feature of the season was the drj^iess of the bogs, as it was possible to venture on many places

which at ordinar}' times are quite inaccessible ; but this condition was not favourable to the pursuit of aquatic beetles, and at no time Avere we tempted to use the water- net.

Much of our time was spent in long tramps to remote parts of the

Forest in search of timber fit to work for Goleoptera, but it has alwa^^s been our experience that to find really good wood for this purpose is an event of the rarest occurrence, and that trees in the right condition are indeed few and far between. It is true that there were numbers of huge oak boughs on the ground, broken off in the last winter b}^ the weight of snow, as well as many beeches, some of very large dimensions,

torn up l)y the roots b^^ the wind and lying prostrate ; but these, almost without exception, were in too fresh condition to yield anything of value.

This Avas also the case Avith the ncAv stumps in the enclosures, where the trees, chiefly pine, oak and birch, Avere being felled Avholesale by gangs of

Canadian and Portuguese lumbermen, but we were glad to see that the line old oaks and beeches of the Forest proper Avore spared so far. Some of the productive dead trees that I had knoAvn in previous years had disappeared, and most of those remaining Avere as dr}-- as tinder, and too far gone in decay for the majority of Avood-frequenting beetles. Still, A\'e occasionally came across a fairly good stump or pile of cord-wood, and our captures on these included Pyrochroa coccinea and Cistela ceram-

hoides, rareh' ; Syncliifa Jitylandis, also rare, on a small and A'ery dry r 170 [August,

dead beech ; TiUiis elongatus, including one of the black variety amhidans F., and Leptura scutellata, fairl}'' commonly; and occasional specimens of Scydmaemis exiUs, Cicones variegatus, FJegaderus dis- sectus (nowadays one of the common Forest beetles), TJiymalus Umhatus, Pediacus dermestoides, Melasis huprestoides, Mycetochares hipustulata, Clinocara tetratoma, and other species characteristic of the locality. Tomoxia higuftata was widely distributed, and was met with in large numbers on a standing dead beech, running and flying with great agility, and b}'^ no means easy to secure without damage. One specimen of CoJydium eJongatum, a beetle which in recent years has been taken more freely than of old, was found in the course of our last morning's Avalk, running on a large oak log. The well-known timber-yard at Brocken- hurst produced Fhloeotrya rxifipes rarely, and Laemopldoeus dupUcatus in nmubers, emerging from the cracks in newly-sawn oak butts. My companion found a large 5 example of Atlious rhomheus mider loose beech bark, and I obtained two pupae, one of which shortly afterwards produced a fine J , so dark in colour that at fi.i-st sight I thought I had only the common Melanotus rujipes. Liodes orMcularis, Enicmus

festaceiis, and Spliindus duhius were found more or less commonl}"^ in powdery fungus under loose bark.

A small oak, long known to both of us as one of the few trees in the Forest infested with Cossus, gave us each one specimen of the great prize

of our visit, Velleius dilatatus, as well as Tachimis scapularis, Qtiedi^is maurus Sahib, {fageti Thorns.), brevicornis, and siihapicalis Soj, Lath- rohium elongatum var. fraudulentiim, Hister vierdarius, Ep)uraea decemguttata (in numbers) and two or three specimens of an Omalium

which Dr. Sharp says is O.Jlorale var. nigrum Grav.

The hawthorn and hoUy blossom, which had been of ver}'- short

duration this year, were practically over on our arrival, but Orsodacna

lineola and its var. Iiumeralis were beaten in some numbers from one

holly tree which still retained a few flowers. Besides swarms of Lepido- pterous larvae of ordinary kinds, among which the beautiful caterpillar

of Polyploca ridens was specially abundant, the oak boughs produced nothing better than an occasional Silpha quadripiinctata or Corymhites metallicus, Avith Rhyiichites piubescens in fair numbers. Polydrust(S

flavipes, in beautiful fresh condition, came freely off birch with Deporaiis

megaceplialus sparingly ; and crab-apple produced Pogonochaerus den- tatus and Phyncliites coeruleus, with AntJionomus pomorum in numbers. Several very small and stoutly built examples of the latter insect proved to be dwarf males of the species, a form neither of us had previously met with. One specimen only of Agrilus viridis was beaten out of an im.] 171

old sallow tree. On the whole, it appeared to be rather too late in the season for the special Elateridae of the Forest; Elater sanguinolentus,

which at this time last year could be beaten ad libitum from furze bushes and small pines, was now very scarce and presented no varieties of any

note ; E. elongatalus was twice swept off bracken, one E. miniatus was taken on the wing, and one Corymhites hipmtulatus was found walking on an old stump.

The sweeping-net was constantly in use, at any rate by myself, and

the freshness and luxuriance of the herbage and flowers in the Forest })aths gave promise of many good insects, but the results were, on the whole, somewhat scanty. The best species taken by this method were

IlomaJota liepatica (one fine d" ), Amphicijllis globus, Triai'throii viarkeli, Hister purpiirascens, Meligethes pedicularius, Thvoscus carini-

frons, Dorcatoma chrysomelina (not met with in its usual habitat),

Crypfocephalus bipunctatus var. lineola and CfuJcratus, Lamprosoma

concolor, Phyllobrotica 4<-7nactilata, Phyllotreta tetrastigma, Cono- palpus testaceus, Mordellistena ahdominalis ( $ $ oniy)> Atactogenes exaratns, Bagous lutulosus (1), etc. Sweeping in boggy places pro- duced Paederus caligatus, Chaefocnema conficsa, and Bagous limosus,

besides OrcJiestes iota, just appearing on Myrica gale, and Donacia

comari in endless variety of colouring ; D. crassipes was taken sparingly on floating leaves of NupTiar luteum on one of the streams. Strangalia

nigra was apparently less common than usual, but Anop>lodera sex- guttata turned up all over the Forest in rose and bramble flowers, and

was to be found in plenty at its head-quarters in New Park Enclosm-e on the umbels of Conopodium denudatum (earth-nut) and Oenantlie crocata. One specimen of a rare but recurrent unicolorous black variety of this Longicorn was taken here on June 18th. Garahus niteiis and Calosoma inquisitor, though common Forest species enough, were welcome to one who had never before seen either of these conspicuous beetles alive. We were somewhat disappointed to find that the best locality for TycTiius

(juinquejyunctatics had been spoiled, for the time being at any rate, by the herbage having been cleared away in the ride where its food-plant, Lathyrus macrorrhizus, grows most plentifulh% and only a very few specimens of this beautiful weevil could be obtained.

The season promised exceedingly well for the Forest butterflies, some of which were appearing in great force towards the end of our visit. On our arrival, Cyaniris argiolus was still on the wing, and

Brenthis selene was abundant and in beautifully fresh condition, its congener, B. euplirosyne, being still plentiful but decidedly passe. This was also the case with Pararge egeria, of which a few specimens of a new p2 172 [August,

Lrood were observed during our last week. EpineplieU ianira was true to its usvial time of appearance on June 16th, but the first specimens of Argynnis adippe and Lycaena aegon were noticed on the ISth, followed the next day b}^ Limenifis sihglla and Dryas papJiia, surel^'a very early date for all tliese species. The two last mentioned were fully out and abundant by the 22ud, and L. sihylla even began to show decided signs of wear before we left. One pupa of D. paphia, a veritable jewel in its brilliant silver ornamentation, *was found suspended from the under side

of a fallen beech trunk ; and a single specimen only of the var. valezina was seen to settle (of course well out of reach) on a flower of the yellow

Avater-lily which we were watching at tbe time for Donacias. A. adip-pe^ tliough not as nmnerous as its larger relative, was fairly common, and of the few examples that I netted, one $ was quite a nice variety, with enlarged spots, darkened borders, and ground-colom- much suffused with olivaceous. Specimens of Fyrameis atalanfa, presumably immigrants, were first noticed on June 15th, and were often seen about the Forest afterwards, some of them being almost in " cabinet " condition. An immigration of CoUas edusa also appears to have occurred this year, as

I heard of specimens having been seen about Brockenhurst, and on June 22nd a large $ in quite good order was netted in the " Queen's

Mead." She was kept for eggs with all due eai-e, but could be induced only to yield a very limited number, and a post-mortem examination showed that she was practically "laid out." A few Hemarls fiiciforntis were observed at the flowers of Ajuga and rhododendrons, and one, apparently in good condition, was seen as late as June 27th.

Some attention was given to the other Orders, especiallj" to the

Hemiptera, but except as regards the Capsidae it was rather too early in the season for these insects. The abundance of the nymphs of Tropicoris rnjipes was quite a feature of the collecting, twenty or thirty of these at a time coming down into the umbrella when an oak was beaten, those of Podisus luridus being much scarcer, and fully-developed examples of both were as yet exceedingly rare. Eysarcoris melano- cephahis turned up now and then in the sweeping-net, and Metatropis rvfescens was found, commonly enough as before, wherever Circaea lutetiana grew in shady places. One $ specimen of Cieadetta montana

was beaten out of a small oak, a long way from its reputed head-quarters, and the conspicuous Ledra aitrita occurred on crab-apple. The pretty and very active Fulgorid Oliarus leporinus was swept in numbers from rushes etc. in two widely separated boggy localities. In the

Hymenoptern we found a $ of tl^e curious Siricid, Xipliydria drome- dariits, at rest on a small birch log. 1917.] 173

We had one cltij' at Lymington Salterns, but a strong westerly

breeze made collecting in so exposed a situation rather difficult, and our

captures included onl}^ a few of the well-known beetles of the locality, such as CiUenum laferale, Tacliys scutellaris, Trogopliloeus halophilus,

2Iicra1i/mmn hrevipenne, Anfhicics saT/'m/s and Jiumilis (both in plent^O,

Chri/soincla liaemojjfera, OfiorrJiynchus rurjifrons, Polydmsus cJin/so-

inela, and Sihinia arenarlac, the latter in number's, but mostly in rather

worn condition under its usual food-])lant. Aovangi, Lonsdale Road, Summertown, Oxfonb] Juhj V.ifh, 1917.

PEDIACUS DEPBESSU8 Hebbst, A SPECIES FEEQUENTING PINES IN THE WOKINCt DISTEICT.

BY G. C. CHAMPION, F.Z.S.

Some 3'ears ago my friend Mr. Barton brought me for determinatit)n a specimen of a Pediacus, P. depressus, which he had found in a pine-

stump near Woking {cf. Ent. Mo. Mag. xlv, p. 248, 1909). Since that time I have constantly been on the look out for the insect in the pine-

Avoods here, but without success till July 14th of the j^resent year, when

I succeeded in capturing a dozen examples. They were found between stacked pine-planks and logs, which had evidently been undisturbed for a

considerable time, as evidenced by the growth of line mould between them, at the places Avhere the pieces of cut Avood were placed one across the other. Some of the specimens Avere slightly immature, and it seemed probable that they had bred in fungoid groAvth in the thin crevices, feeding on the larA^ae of the other beetles, Typliaea, Coninomns, Corti- caria, etc., found Avith them. The Cucujid-genus Pediacus and its allies are certainly carnivorous, and some of them live undei* the bark of various ti-ees, e. g. the common Silvanns miidentatns, the latter being noAv fairly abundant in the pines at Woking, though in my experience it is usually connected Avith oak or beech. The rediscorery of P. depressus at Woking, therefore, confirms Mr. Barton's capture, as well as its association with conifers, and this obserA'ation is again substantiated by the finding by myself of a specimen of the same species beneath the bark of a fir

{Abies jyecfina fa) at Gabas, in the Basses-Pyrenees, in July 1914.*

Beitter ('Fauna Germanica,' iii. p. 50, 1911), In his table of the three European representatives of the genus Pediacus—depressus, der- mesioides, awdfuscus,—states that the first tAvo are found beneath the bark of deciduous trees (dermestoides in oak), and the third, fuscus, under that of fir \_Abies or Piceal. Ganglbauer says much the same,

* An example of Coli/dium elongatiim put in an apjiearance on this fir-stump while I was examining it, a beetle not previously seen by me on a conifer.