A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE Myelophilus piniperda, L. In decaying firs, in dead leaves, etc. ; all seasons. Knawle ; Sutton (Blatch) Xylocleptes bispinus, Duft. In the stems of Clematis vitalba ; summer. Sut- ton Park (Blatch) Dryocastes villosus, F. Under oak bark ; all seasons ; abundant in the midlands alni, Georg. Under bark of beech, etc. ; summer. Near Tardley (Blatch) Pityogenes bidentatus, Herbst. Under fir bark and by sweeping amongst pines. Sutton Park Trypodcndrort domesticum, L. In decay- ing wood of oak and other trees ; all seasons. Sutton Park (Blatch), Knowle ABNORMAL COLEOPTERA STYLOPIDjE Stylops melittae, Kirby. Parasitic on bees (Andrena). The late Mr. Blatch was under the impression that he found a specimen on an Andrena captured at Knowle^ but unfortu- nately it was not preserved LEPIDOPTERA The greater part of the following list needs no explanation ; a few notes on the authorities quoted are however necessary. Mention has already been made in the general introduction of the late Mr. W. G. Blatch. He is quoted constantly throughout this list in several ways. In the first place the lists in the Handbook to Birmingham for the use of the British Association, mentioned above, are referred to as Brit. Assoc. Hand. or ' W. G. Blatch Hand.' These records must be taken as fairly accurate but not absolutely trustworthy, owing to the fact that to some extent they were compiled from sources not always quite sound ; moreover I am afraid they were rather hastily put together without sufficient examina- tion. The greater part of the records quoted on his authority have however been made after personal examination of his collection, and have only been given when the specimen is actually there and is labelled. These are probably accurate, as Mr. C. G. Barrett went through the collection not long before Mr. Blatch's death. These are referred to as ' Blatch Coll.' Mr. Blatch also left a MS. catalogue of a portion of his collection, made as the specimens were taken in his earlier days. Many of these specimens do not now exist in his cabinets ; and many mistakes occur, as the notes were usually made at the time, but whereas the identification was frequently corrected afterwards the catalogue was not always corrected. This is occasionally quoted as ' Blatch Cat.' In a few cases I have records personally conveyed to me, and those are simply quoted ' W. G. Blatch.' The Rugby School Natural History Society Reports referred to above are usually referred to simply as 'Rugby Lists.' When a record occurred only once the date is put afterwards. These records must be accepted with much reserve. They are for the most part merely schoolboys' records and naturally very untrustworthy. I hesitated for some time about employing them at all, but as no other account of that part of the county was procurable they have been quoted when other evidence of the species occurring in the county has not been forthcoming. Many absurd errors occur which make one dis- trustful of the whole list ; but no schoolboy is likely to be wrong about a species like Zeuzera pyrina, L., which is mentioned in nearly every report. While therefore excluding the most improbable ones I have 124
