NOTES. 69
Fossil Coleoptera at Lexden.—In the January number of the "Entomolo-
gist" (vol. xxi., page 1) there is a short paper by Mr. Alfred Bell on "Post-glacial
Insects." In it the following paragraph occurs, "It is a pity that in lists of
fossils from the various peat and other deposits, nothing more definite than 'elytra
of coleoptera' is usually recorded, because careful nomenclature would materially
aid in determining the geological horizon in which such remains occur ; e.g., the
peat, at Lexden, near Colchester, has yielded seven or eight species, all of which
are at the present day Trans-Pyrenean, enabling us to correlate the Lexden peat
with a marine deposit near Chichester, in which about a dozen of the shells are
Lusitanian." This Essex reference is to a paper published in the "Quarterly
Journal of the Geological Society of London'' for 1863 (vol. xix., pp. 393-401),
"On the Brick-pit at Lexden, near Colchester, by the Rev. O. Fisher, M.A.,
F.G.S., with notes on the coleoptera, by T. V. Wollaston, M.A., F.L.S."
Mr. Fisher says, "As far as palaeontology is concerned the interest of the locality
is confined to this remarkable trough about 30 feet wide in this gravel, and run-
ning parallel with the southern boundary; where the newer strata abut upon the
older gravel is found a deposit of fine grey clay passing into carbonaceous clay
with rootlets, and resting upon it a bed of peat; this has formed a perfect cemetery
for the pachyderms of the period ; Elephas primigenius is found abundantly, asso-
ciated with Rhinoceros Ieptorhinus, of which latter animal some fine jaws were
obtained here by Mr. Brown, who placed them in the British Museum. Their
bones lie upon the surface of the clay immediately beneath the peat, while their
condition shows that they have been affected by contact with it. The peat itself
contains an amazing number of fragments of beetles in a remarkable state of pre-
servation. I collected as many specimens as I could find in the portion of peat
that had been dug out during the past winter, and submitted them to the inspec-
tion of my friend Mr. Wollaston. Mr. Wollaston recognised certainly eleven well
defined species—probably many more. He considered all but two "which may
be Carabideous (though I will not be positive of this)" to be Phytophagous. He
remarks that bright metallic tints seem to have been the prevailing colours with
these peat beetles as with marsh insects of our own times, and he notes the absence
of anything very extraordinary either in size or structure in the species found. In
a note to this Mr. Fisher adds, "I have reason to think from the report of the
intelligent manager of the pit, Mr. Steward, that much larger insects occur than
any that I have seen." Probably the most interesting genus recognised was
Cossyphus, of which Mr. Wollaston says truly, "I could scarcely be mistaken as
to that insect, it does not now occur in England at all, indeed not even, I believe,
in Central Europe, but in Mediterranean latitudes." The remains of beetles
collected were composed almost entirely of elytra. Mr. Wollaston remarked,
"If any of the species had been fossorial I imagine that their strongly developed
corneous anterior legs, which are often wide and externally dentate, could not fail
to have been preserved."—E. A. F.
The Origin of "Sugaring" : to whom does the credit rightly belong?
—In his interesting article, "The First Night's 'Sugaring' in England" (Trans.
Essex F. C. ii., 32), our late member, Mr. James English, writes as follows :—
"The late Henry Doubleday, of Epping, had observed the fact that moths were
attracted to empty sugar hogsheads that had been turned out of the warehouse.
* * * Although this fact was known to Henry Doubleday, the idea was never
utilized by him for the capture of insects, apart from the hogsheads. It was
certainly myself who first applied 'sugar' practically. * * * This experiment
was made in 1843. Henry Doubleday was on his tour in France at the time.
* * * On his return from Paris he was surprised in the extreme, and sent for
me to learn the details. After a few nights' adventures with sugar, he wrote to
the late Edward Newman, telling of the utilization of sugar for the capture of
moths. An article in the "Zoologist" sent the entomological world to the woods
with the sugar-can and lanthorn, and thus began the now well-known practice of
'sugaring.'" I cannot avoid the conclusion that the memory of the late
Mr. English was somewhat at fault when he made these statements. I have now
before me one hundred and one interesting letters written by Henry Doubleday