6 2 The Scottish Naturalist. 



According to Thomson this is the true viridis of Linne. T. mesomcla 

 Thorns. — Not common. This is the viridis of authors. T. livida Lin. — 

 Common on the flower of the raspberry. T. vclox Fab. — One specimen. 

 T. balteata Kl.— Common through the valley. T. rufiuentris Fab. — One 

 specimen. Nematus gallicola West. — Common in one locality. -In ad- 

 dition to the above, sundry species were captured belonging to the genera 

 Nematus and Dolerus, which stand over for further examination. 



Among other Hymenoptera, were, besides some other Bees, two examples 

 of the rare Nomada xauthosticta. The "Currant Galls" of Spathegaster 

 baccarum were extremely abundant on some oaks at Glenshiel, as well as 

 at Loch Hourn, and the insects themselves were equally numerous. The 

 galls of Teras terminalis were likewise observed. Formica ruta inhabited 

 the woods at Loch Hourn, and constructed its nests principally of ferns and 

 heather leaves. 



The " Burnet" Moth ( ' Ino statices) appeared in hundreds on the only day 

 the sun was visible, and was found throughout all the valley, either flying 

 very slowly, or oftener at rest on shrubs. All the specimens were remarkable 

 for their size, and for the brilliancy of their colours. 



Two beetles, Dascillus cervinus and Phyllopcrtha hordeola, were so abun- 

 dant as to be a perfect pest. The former insect had, when handled alive, a 

 very bad odour. 



A short visit to Skye yielded nothing new ; the rain preventing anything 

 being done. The leaf galls of Spath. baccarum were very numerous on 

 some stunted oaks, scarcely two feet high. The only Saw-fly noticed was 

 T. olivaca. And thus ended my far from pleasant holiday.- — P. Cameron 

 Jr., 136 W. Graham Street, Glasgow. 



Capture of Lyda erythrocephala at Itannoch.— Among some Tenthre- 

 dinidce given me by Mr J. J. King, and taken by him at Rannoch, was a single 

 example of the rare and beautiful Saw-fly, Lyda erythrocephala. — Id. 



Note on the Larva of Synergus. — I have on various occasions opened the 

 galls of Cynips divisa and found them tenanted not by that fly or its larvae, but 

 by two larvae of a Synergus. The two nearly filled the gall, one being placed 

 at each end, and what was to me rather strange, they were separated from each 

 other by a thin semi-transparent white partition of silk, stretched across it from 

 side to side, and dividing it into two distinct portions. Generally , the silk is 

 stretched exactly across the centre, in other cases it divides it into two unequal 

 parts, one large the other small ; and in one instance I found three larvae in one 

 gall, one of them being at one end, enclosed in a space of its own size ; but as 

 a rule, the creatures have enough room to move about. I have also noticed 

 that the galls inhabited by these larvae have the hole slightly smaller, and its 

 sides inside "not so regular and smooth as those inhabited by the larva of the 

 legitimate owner, which exactly fills it. How the silk partition was constructed, 

 whemer it was spun by one larva, or if it was the joint work of both, I have no 

 evidence, but the subject is certainly worth the attention of the enquiring na- 

 turalist. It is a common occurrence to find one, two, three, or even four para- 

 sites in one of these galls, but, with the exception of the species mentioned 

 above, in all the cases observed by me they lay in a heap together without any 

 separation. The Synergus is supposed to feed, not on the constructor of the 



