110 [May, 



when curiously enough I caught the second in the same locality on April 10th. I 

 took them both to Mr. Verrall's meeting of the Entomological Club last January, 

 where they were seen by another expert, whose opinion carries weight, and he 

 expressed strong doubts as to their being a Palloptera, so they remain nameless, and 

 P. adamsi. Coll., does not yet find a place in the British List. Owing to the very 

 forward state of the hawthorn foliage I came to the conclusion there would be 

 scarcely any blossom later on, and this unfortunately turned out to be true. Partly 

 on account of this collecting in May showed little improvement, but the common 

 Berberis, at Ehinefields, attracted fair numbers of Conops vesicularis, Tj. ((? ^only), 

 a few Criorrhina berberina, F., and C. oxyacanthx about as common as usual. 

 What little hawthorn there was came out early, and on going to a favourite tree on 

 which I took four Psilofa anthracina, Mg., in 1901, I found it once more an excep- 

 tion to the general rule, as it had no blossom in 1902, but again this year carried a 

 good head of flower. In about five minutes I boxed a female of the above which 

 raised hopes of a record bag, but alas, it was the only one on this or any later visit. 

 As this tree had nothing else near to attract away insects, the very small number of 

 even the commonest species coming to it was a clear proof of the scarcity of Diptera. 

 Wood Spurge which had dwindled during previous dry years, once more showed 

 strong growth, and its flowers attracted numerous SyrpMdcB, amongst which I took 

 Syrphiis albostriatus, Fin., S. tricinctus, Fin., and three ;S. torvus, O.S., the latter 

 no doubt often overlooked through its strong resemblance to the common S. ribesii, 

 L. Returning to Lyndhurst on June 22nd I still found flies scarce, even those 

 previously out having apparently been desti'oyed by the torrential rains earlier in 

 the month. Fine hot weather, however, set in, and as it was not yet too late for 

 Microdon inutabilis, L., I turned my attention to Matley Bog, but did not even see 

 one on this or subsequent occasions, nor did I meet with either Mallota cimbici- 

 formis, Fin., or Callicera anea, F., although the Rhododendrons were not over, and 

 Portugal laurels were coming out at Rhinefields, and wild roses and brambles were 

 in blooni at Brick Kiln and other enclosures. On the Portugal laurel, however, I 

 took one Brachypalpus himaculatiis, Mcq., and Alophora hemiptera, F., was fairly 

 common. About a week later on UmbelliferiE at Matley Bog I took a series of 

 Anthrax fenestratus, Fin., and a single Isvhyrosyrphus laternarius, Miill., a species 

 I had never seen before in the Lyndhurst district. Tabanidse were in strong 

 evidence, especially T. Lovinus, L., and in less numbers Atylotus fulvus, Mg., but I 

 only succeeded in netting two of the latter as they have an awkward way of settling 

 on one's clothes exactly where you cannot get at them. I left on July 22nd, the 

 fine weather having already broken up, and it was not better when I returned in the 

 middle of August. Rain being the prevailing feature, my collecting was chiefly 

 confined to near home, working Umbelliferse and sweeping in an adjacent field. 

 On the former amongst various small AnthomyidcB were several Azelia zetterstedti, 

 Rnd., one A, triquetra, W., two A. aterrima, Mg., and one Anthomyia albicincta, 

 Fin., the two latter being described by the late Dr. Meade as " very rare." 

 Sweeping was not remunerative ; two Urophora quadrifasclata, Mg., and two 

 Tephritis corniculata, Fin., alone calling for attention. During bright intervals 

 Arctophila mussitans, F., was plentiful on Scabious, and my garden produced 

 numerous Xanthandrus conitus, Harr., both flies seeming to thrive in wet seasons. 

 To the above I can only add one Leptomorphus walkeri. Curt., one Ceroplatus 



