PREFACE 



THIS little book makes no claim to be an ex- 

 haustive treatment of a very large subject. It 

 is merely a sketch in which I have filled in details of 

 those few insects which happen to come under my 

 immediate notice, have touched lightly on others in 

 mere outline, and have omitted entirely many ex- 

 tensive groups which are visible enough to those who 

 look for them, but which for various reasons are not 

 familiar to the general public. It has been my aim 

 to write mainly on those Hymenoptera which have 

 especially interested and delighted me, in the hope 

 that I might thus best interest others and introduce 

 them to one of the most fascinating branches of 

 Natural History. It is for this reason that I have 

 confined my remarks to British species of Hymeno- 

 ptera. Much of my information has been derived 

 from other sources : these are not acknowledged 

 individually in the text ; but it is hoped that the 

 bibliography at the end of the book will be recog- 

 nised as an adequate acknowledgement of my 



