160
ON PLUMAGE OF THE GANNET.
had the usual dark quills, with white bases. For some unknown reason the ninth primary of the right wing, and tenth of the left, were extremely abraded. It seems to me most curious that the first secondaries should have been entirely or mainly dark, when the ninth and tenth primaries were white. All the other secondaries on the whole and half wings, and those attached to the skin, were pure white.
ENTOMOLOGICAL CAPTURES ABOUT DUNWICH. BY K . G. BLAIR, D.SC., F.E.S.,
F.Z.S.
THE end of one of the dryest summers of recent years was not particularly promising for an entomological holiday, but it was hoped that the extensive marshes of the Dunwich district would have suffered last September as little as anywhere from the long period of drought. This hope was not altogether realised; nevertheless, a few captures of especial interest were mide. T h e dykes in these marshes held little in the way of brackishwater beetles, but Ochthebius marinus, Pyk., was plentiful in some places. One specimen of Hydaticus seminiger, DeG. (NEW to Suffolk), was found alive in the edge of the sea just east of Minsmere marshes, but the beetle could not be found in those marshes themselves. On sandy slopes at the foot of cliffs there Microglossa nidicola, Fair., had fallen in plenty, from nests of Sand-martins above them, on to a large clump of Milfoil, along with Olibrus corticalis, Pz., Rhinoncus castor, F. and Trachyploeus scabriculus, L., which were mostly under Sorrel, while odd specimens of Strophosomus faber, Hbst., Apion laevicolle, Kby. (NEW to Suffolk), Lindes ciliaris, Schm. (Tr. Suff. Nat. Soc. 1930, p. 123), Anthicus florahs, L. and Sericoderus lateralis, Gyl. were'also taken. With them was Sibinia signata, Gyl. = primita. Hb., confirming a somewhat doubtful Suffolk record of 1899 [already later confirmed by examples taken in June at Barton Mills (E. A. Elliott); in April at roots of Marram-grass on K e s s i n g l a n d sandhills (Bedwell) ; and beaten from oak in a Sandy fir-wood at Brandon (Morley).—Ed.], A gap in the cliff-top one windy day produced a host of small beetles, sitting in a pocket on the face of the cliff; these were mainly Staphylinidae: Atheta spp., Tachyusa atra, Grav., Tachyporus spp., Quedius semiaeneus, Ste. and boops, Grav., Gabnus trossulus, Nd., etc., together with Mecinuspyraster, Hbst., Anthicus antherinus, L., a few Longitarsus and numbers of small Hymenoptera. T h e prize of this remarkable assembly is a Single example of Aleochara inconspicua, Aube (NEW to Suffolk), thus placing firmly on the British List, and adding to Beare s or 1930, a species whose sole claim to inclusion has hitherto been