marginal cell, is A. campeHtrh. It has rather a darker appearance 

 when flying, which is especially noticeable where both species are 

 flying together, as they do on Matley Heath, where 1 have repeatedly 

 had both in the net at one stroke. A. cavipestns is a very local 

 species, and like its relative A. sabiilosa, it provisions its nest with 

 caterpillars. Another common species, A. huxiita, makes use of 

 spiders. It is a large, bold-looking insect, with none of the fragile 

 appearance of the other two I have mentioned. The fourth, A. 

 Intan'a, is veiy like the last named, but is very much rarer. The 

 only locality where I have seen it is Deal. 



Next we come to several genera of very small l)lack wasps that 

 nest mostly in decaying wood, or perforated bramble stems, though 

 sometimes in sandy banks, or in the mortar of old walls. They 

 mostly provision their nests with Aphiden. The connnonest of the 

 number can be bred in hundreds from perforated brambles collected 

 in the winter, and amongst the many insects that can be obtained 

 in this way I think 1 may venture to say that 90 per cent, will 

 prove to be Pemjihri'don letldfer. A large number, however, will 

 have been destroyed by the Ichneumon Perithoiifi viediatnr, which 

 also will be bred in considerable numbers. Many of these species 

 of I'iniiphredon, Passaloecia^, Stiij)iitis, and DiodontiiR can be found 

 basking in the sun on almost any wide leaves. A very large per- 

 centage of ray captures of these little animals was made at Maid- 

 stone about 30 years ago on the leaves of a Morello Cherry that 

 was trained against a wall just outside of my window. The doubt 

 has been raised whether the species of Stii/iiius provision their own 

 nests or are parasitic on others. 



Of very similar habits are the species of Mimesa. I have always 

 found them nesting in the ground in large colonies, but they are 

 also said to nest in holes in wood and in the straws of thatch. 

 Where they are abundant, as I have sometimes found them at 

 Darenth Wood and in the New Forest, quite a number can be taken 

 at one stroke of the net. Mwwsa bicolor is by far the commonest 

 species, the other four or five being only occasionally met with. 

 They usually appear to prey on Aphides. Very closely allied to 

 ]\linu'sa, and of similar habits, is the very common I'sen 

 jiallijies. It is, however, often found basking in the sun on bramble 

 and other leaves. 



We now come to three genera that are sometimes united as one. 

 As far as our British species are concerned they are abundantly dis- 

 tinct. Especially is this the case with the first one Gmi/tes 

 tiimidiis, or as I prefer to call it, Harpactiis tuiiridiis. It is fairly 

 common in sandy situations and is very active, more resembling a 

 Poiii/iiliis in its habits and in its black and red colour. I have never 

 found it with its prey. The two species of Gorytes proper are very 

 much alike in appearance, and are rather striking black and yellow 

 insects. The common one, G. vii/staceiis, is pretty widely dis- 

 tributed, and can often be found on the flowers of the cow-parsnip. 



