Notes and Observations 11 Part 3

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270

NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY

BEETLE N E W TO BRITAIN FROM

SUFFOLK.

An event of considerable importance took place on the East coast of Suffolk in mid-June 1956, when Mr. Daltry, who was staying at Westleton, took a pair on 15th, and another on 23rd of Philonthus dimidiatipennis, Er., (Coleoptera : Staphylinidae). T h e beetles were found by treading cracked mud by the sides of dykes in the brackish marshes between Dunwich and Walberswick. T h e specimens of this species new to Britain were determined by the Reverend C. E. Tottenham who said that the species had been recorded from the Mediterranean and South Russia. It differs from all other British Philonthus by having the basal third of the red elytra black, with the apical margin of the black area sharply defined by a symmetrically undulating line rather deeply concave near the middle of each elytron. The remainder of the body is black. T h e species comes at the end of the genus and is not large, 5.5 - 6 mm. Specimens were noted at the locality in some numbers during July 1957. The Nature Conservancy were pleased to hear from this Society of this distinguished Russian visitor. (see Ent. mon. Mag 94, p. 66). 1 Aysgarth Road, Dulwich Village, S.E.21.

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS M O L E (Talpa europaea). A series of moles kept in captivity during the summer of 1959 almost invariably ate worms from the head end, holding their victim between the fore feet and pulling it towards them as they ate, at the same time pushing away with the fore feet massaging the worm from front to rear and expelling all the earthy contents of the worm's stomach out throughtheanus. T h i s " pushing and massaging " action also cleaned any earth from off the outside of the worm so producing a meal " grit free " externally and internally. One mole, caught in September and about ยง grown weighing 75 grammes, became exceedingly tarne would remain in an outstretched palm withoutattemptingtoescape for long periods, taking, with great delicacy and without biting even by mistake the hand that fed it, blow fly maggots and pupae, meal worms, earth worms, etc. from between the finger and thumb


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