A SOLITARY example in the British Museum, and another in 

 Mr. Donovan's collection, were the only specimens preserved 

 of this insect, and nothing was known of its liabits or locality ; 

 I was therefore highly gratified last summer, by capturing 

 several of both sexes ; they are exceedingly active ; and La- 

 treille says they are called Astatae, because they are always in 

 motion. 



On a fine day, the end of last July, whilst rambling about 

 the undercliff at the back of the Isle of Wight, I observed 

 two males on a pathway leading through heath and rushes ; 

 a few days after, I found two more males on sandy spots near 

 the same place ; and on the 1 2th of August, a young friend 

 who was my companion, took a female at the top of the cliff; 

 and towards the latter end of the same month, on a gravelly 

 walk at Ramsdown, surrounded by heath, rhododendrons 

 and pine-trees, I took four females, each of them carrying a 

 pupa of Pentatoma prasina, Linn. ; or of P. dissimilis. Fab. : 

 and as nothing was known of their oeconomy, it was an interest- 

 ing and remarkable fact ; and there is scarcely a doubt but 

 these pupae were to be buried by the Astata to deposit her 

 eggs in. The Honourable Charles Harris also took one or 

 two, which I believe were females also. 



The trophi are remarkable, especially the 2nd joint of the la- 

 bial palpi ; and the upper lip with its long spines, some of them 

 furcate. Latreille says the labium is trilobed ; and as his ac- 

 curacy is beyond all praise, I suspect that it is different in the 

 males, mine being a female, which was bilobed. The ante- 

 rior tarsi of the females are furnished with the same sort of 

 appendages as the Pompili, perhaps to secure their prey, or 

 to assist them in clearing away the sand in burrowing. 



Panzer says his T. abdo7ninalis has whitish tarsi, and his 

 figure is so represented; and his D. stigma has the anterior 

 tibiae annulated with white. I have therefore been compelled 

 to give my insect a new name ; for Mr. Donovan (who has 

 figured the male, which is the reason that the female is now 

 given ) has called his the Larra pornpiliformis of Panzer, which 

 is not of the same genus. The D. oculata of Jurine is also 

 perfectly distinct. 



The plant is Trifolium {Melilotus) officinale (Melilot Trefoil). 



