7^ The Irish Naturalist. March, 



Anthomyidae. The Bombylii were,'however, acting in a manner quite 

 different from the female observed on the 27th June; several times 

 one of them was seen to settle on the ground near the burrow of a 

 Hymeuopteron and to remain quite still, and it was assumed that 

 she was ovipositing, but though the spot was carefully marked and 

 the neighbourhood searched with a lens, no sign of an ^%% could be 

 found, and the conclusion eventually arrived at was that they were 

 not ovipositing, but were all old spent females basking in the sun 

 and making the most of the last few hours of their existence. All 

 these (40 ?) Bombylii were much worn, and therefore useless as 

 specimens. A stroke of the net was, however, made at one of them, 

 and resulted in the capture of i Bee and i Bombylius. The bee has 

 been identified for me by Mr. Saunders as HalicUis villostis, female. 

 Bombylius cattescens appears, therefore, to be a parasite on more than 

 one species of Halictus. In the E. AI. A/., vol. xiv., 1878, p. 196, Dr. 

 Chapman published some remarks "On the Economy, &c., of 

 Bomb3'lius," but neither the name of the species of Bombylius 

 observed ovipositing nor that of the host was given, while the re- 

 marks concerning the larvae, &c., all refer to Bombylhis majo): The 

 ovipositing species was, however, probably B. canescens^ and Dr. 

 Chapman's observations agree fairly well with mine, though in my 

 case the female did not approach nearly so close to the burrow of 

 the Hymenopteron, nor did my sight allow me to see a small white 

 ^%% thrown off. 



THEREVID^E. 



Thcreva an nu lata, Fab.— Waterville, June 30 — July 2. Books (Glen- 

 beigh), Aug. 15. Fairly common on the sand hills. 



Ti spi Inc.— Darrynane, female, July 31. Waterville, female, Aug. 2. 

 The only specimens. These two specimens are in Mr. Verrall's hands, 

 and have not yet been clearly identified. 



EMPIDi^E. 



Hybos fumipcnnls, Meig. — Beown Mountain, July 22. Not in 



Verrall's List. 

 Rhamphomyia tenulrostris. Fall.— Loo Bridge, Aug. 28. This 



may belong to R. variabilis. Fall., of Verrall's List, but the insect 



agrees best with the description of R. tcniiirostris. 

 R. flava, Fall. — Glengariff, male, June 12. 

 Empis Ilvlda, Linn. — Kenmare, June 30 to July 7. Common, 



Valencia Island. Aug. 8. 

 Hllara sp. Inc. --Waterville, July 26. 

 CEdalea stigrmatella, Zett.— Glengariff, June 12, 

 Ocydromla g^Iabricula, Fall.— Waterville, Aug. 4. 

 Tachydromla spi inc. — Waterville, July 26. 



