128 The Irish Naturalist. Nov.-Dec, 



Besides this I met with Lasiocampa quercus var callunae, 

 a very dark Cidaria immanata, and the var. gallica of 

 Hepialiis velleda. This last was very plentiful at dusk 

 with the type form. 



COLEOPTERA. 



Early in May I was invited to examine a bee-hive, the 

 occupants of which had succumbed during the winter. 

 I found the bar frames occupied by beetles, far the greatest 

 number were Cononimus nodifer, Westw., which was very 

 numerous ; with them were a good many Cryptophagus 

 scanicus L. var. patruelis, Sturm, and three Homalota 

 intermedia Thoms. The remains of honey and wax had 

 evidently attracted these intruders. 



At Portnoo I picked up a few beetles, but Carabus 

 clathratus did not turn up. Dascillus cervinus, Corymbites 

 cupreus and Phyllopertha horticola were very plentiful. 

 Corymbites tessellatus and Athous hirtus occurred among 

 herbage near the sea shore, and Donacia thalassina with 

 Cassida viridis on the roadside. I met with the large 

 white form of Philopedon geminatus on the sandhills. 



DiPTERA. 



I think the two-winged flies mind the weather less than 

 other insects, for no matter how unseasonable it may be, 

 if there is the least glint of sunshine out they come. 



On April 30th while strolling along the road near here 

 I noticed a pair of what I thought were Empids alight on 

 a leaf of the Lesser Celandine. I caught them and found 

 that the female had a little fl}/ in her clutches. I sent the 

 lot to Mr. J. E. Colhn, F.E.S., and he very kindly examined 

 them, and tells me that I was right in supposing the larger 

 flies to be Empids and that they are male and female of 

 Rhamphomyia cinerascens, and that the prey is a female 

 Chironomid of the genus Metriocnemus. The Empidae 

 are predaceous flies and attack other insects, but a very 

 curious point in their economy has been brought out by 

 Mr. A. H. Hamm of the University Museum, Oxford, in a 

 series of articles on these flies which appeared in the 



