1 91 9- Notes. 107 



Wasps attacking Flies. 



On September gth, when in Brickett Wood, Hertfordshire, I noticed 

 some wasps hovering over an aspen tree on which a number of flies were 

 settled, and one of them swooped on to a fly and fell with it to the ground. 

 This reminded me that I had intended to write a note on this subject for 

 some time past. In the Irish Naturalist, vol. xxvi., p. 88, 191 7, Dr. R. 

 F. Scharflf writes that he has never seen wasps attack flies. I personally 

 have frequently done so. I have seen wasps on many occasions catch a 

 " blue-bottle," deliberately cut off its head, saw off its wings, and then 

 fly away with the body. I remember pointing this out to some people 

 (who were not entomotogists) at Brockenhurst in 1901. They were very 

 interested by the systematic way in which the wasp dismembered the fly 

 before flying away with it. I have always been interested in wasps, 

 and personally I do not kill them unless obliged to do so. It may also 

 be worth repeating what I wrote in 191 7 on the copulation of wasps : — 

 " On September 23rd, about eleven o'clock in the morning, I observed a 

 pair of wasps ( Vespa vulgaris) in cop. at Putney. It was in a road near my 

 house, and my attention was first drawn to them by one of my Pekinese, 

 which was evidently interested in something on the pavement. The 

 male was on the back of the female, and at times was dragged along 

 on his back behind her. They were unable to fly properly, only fluttering 

 a short distance, and walking. When at rest the male's body was seen to 

 be in regular motion. I twice endeavoured to box them, and eventually 

 they separated and flew off in different directions. It seems advisable 

 to pubhsh this observation, as I am unable to find any reference to the 

 copulation of wasps in any books I have or have been able to consult." 

 [Ent. Rec, vol. xxix., pp. 231 (19 17)]. 



Horace Donisthorpe. 

 Putney Hill, London, S.W. 



Early Arrival of Redwing^s and Fieldfares. 



On 26th August of this year I saw six Redwings at Hillsborough. 

 The earliest date given for the arrival of this species in Ireland in Bar- 

 rington's " Migration of Birds " is 20th September, 1892, at Rockabill 

 Lighthouse. In the " Northern Whig " of 13th September, " T. McC." 

 states that he saw a flock of Fieldfares at Dunadry, Co. Antrim, about the 

 7th September, and as he describes the caU-notes of the birds he saw I 

 have no doubt that his diagnosis of the species is correct. The earliest 

 date given for Ireland is that in Thompson's " Nat. Hist, of Ireland," where 

 it is stated that these birds were observed on 20th September. The 

 B. O. C. " Migration Reports " cite numerous instances of this bird's 

 arrival in Great Britain on and after i6th September, and Thompson 

 states that Fieldfares were seen in Scotland early in September, 1838. 



Nevin H. Foster. 

 Hillsborough, Co. Down. 



