1907.] 259 



of seven years) of Pom/iilus sanguinolentus, I was rash enough to express tlie hope 

 of adding a furtlier note on the species at a later date. I have, however, been 

 unable to discover tlic insect again despite an exhaustive searcli. The only Aculeate 

 of marked rarity that has occurred here this season (apart from those recorded in 

 past years) has been a single $ of Crabro gonaijer. Prosopis cornuta and dilalata 

 have been out in fair numbers, and seem to frequent quite a large variety of flowers, 

 tiiough curiously enough I luive never yet found either on those of the bramble, 

 which is given in Mr. Saunders' work as a favourite. Before the Achillea was in 

 flower, both species were to be found on Marguerite daisies ; later, on Achillea, and 

 then in turn on iStellaria graininea and Achillea ptarmica. Ceratina turned up 

 again, but only a single ? . Stelis aterrima ( $ ) I took on Lotus corniciilatu.i, and 

 is the first of the species (or gcnus) I have seen on a flower of any sort. — C. H. 

 MORTIMEE, Ilolmwood : Septetnber, 1907. 



[Since writing the above I have been intei'ested to find Crabro panzeri here in 

 an old sandpit. I rreonled a large colony of it from Streatham in 1894, and since 

 tlien have not seen it again, thougli I liiivc looked carefully for it every year]. 



Aculeate Hi/menoptera at Swanage, Dor.^et. — Dwr'mg a ten days' visit to 

 Swanage, last June, one or two interesting Aculeates turned up, but the weather 

 was of the worst for collecting. It is sixteen years since I recorded the rare 

 Andrena procima from this locality, and I was interested to find it again in pro- 

 fusion in its old haunt — a narrow cleft in the cliff, which it seems to have scrupu- 

 lously adhered to, since there was no sign of it elsewhere. ? s of Methoca 

 ichneumonides were also numerous on a small patch of cliff barelj' thirty yards in 

 length. Osmia spinulosa I met here for the first time, and also the rarer 

 leucomelaiia. This genus is not, I tliink, generally credited with being a flower- 

 loving one, yet both occurred on buttercup and dandelion ; while, in addition, 

 I found leucomelana visiting daisy, and spinulosa thistle. I was glad to get a good 

 series of one of tlie rare Nijssons, N. interruplun, the species being quite plentiful 

 during the very rare glimpses of sunshine. With the exception of Andrena iucens 

 and a (? and two ? s of Prosopis dilatata I saw nothing worthy of mention. — Id. : 

 September, 1907. 



Wasps kil liny Rive Bees.— Y)\xr\x\g\sks\, August I witnessed three occurrences 

 of this. In the first instance a wasp settled on tlie ground near me, bearing a dead 

 hive bee, recently killed, and still moving. The wasp itself I failed to secure, but it 

 was eitiier t'expa germanica ov vulgaris: in both the other cases it was vulgaris. 

 In the first of these I captured the wasp as it flew off with the deceased bee. In 

 the second there were two wasps, one joining in the fight after it had been pro- 

 gressing for some time. I disturbed this discussion rather too soon, as having 

 netted the wasps, I found the bee bitten in two halves between thorax and abdomen. 

 It would have been interesting to know whether this had been done on purpose to 

 allow each visitor a share of the spoil. In both the latter instances the wasp was 

 the aggressor. — Id. : September, 1907. 



