262 [November, 



Tlie Herm people tell me that, so far as they know, no one has ever kept bees in 

 the island. My belief is that those we saw in August formed part of a swarm which 

 had flown over from Guernsey, the bulk of the swarm having, perhaps, perished in 

 the sea. The shortest distance across the water from Guernsey to Herm would be 

 rather under three miles, but I do not know whether swarms have been known to 

 fly so far. 



Supposing that the Queen Bee was lost at sea, would the few workers that 

 readied land keep together, and go on eollecting honey for a time ? or does the 

 presence of a few score (or hundi'eds) of workers, all busy collecting honey as usual, 

 prove that the Queen must have landed on Herm, and founded a nest there ? 



It would be exceedingly interesting to go over to Herm next spring and ascer- 

 tain whether these visitors have succeeded \n establishing themselves ; and it might 

 be possible to discover where they have built their nest. — E. D. Maequand, 

 Guernsey : Sepfemher 12th, 1904. 



Afetn Irinh Ichneumonidse. — I was insjnred by Mr. Morley's book to look up 

 some few specimens of Ichneumon flics which I had picked up from time to time. 

 I endeavoured to determine them for myself, but becoming puzzled for want of 

 types, and experience, I thought the safest plan would be (o forward Ihem to Mr. 

 Morley, who most kindly determined them for me. The specimens are as follows : 



Anomalon ? cerinops, Gr., Armagh, emerged Qlh]9i^ • Banchus pictus, Fab., •? , 

 Churchill, Co. Armagh ; Pimpla turionellse, L., $ , Armagh, 19/r)/94 ; Bratichneu- 

 mon fabricator, Fab., S . Acton Glebe ; Ichneumon extensorius, L., ? , Scotstown, 

 Co. Monaghan, in moss, lf)/3/9i; /. gradariux, Wesm., 9, Scotstown, Co. Mo- 

 naghan, in moss, 15/3/94 ; Mr. Morley informs me that this is the second British 

 taken specimen of this species ; Ambly teles palliatorius, Grav., ? , Acton Glebe ; 

 A. 4-purictoriu.<}, Miill., var. with black abdomen, Acton Glebe ; Platylalrus rufus, 

 Wesm., ? , Acton Glebe ; Pheeogenes planifrons, Wesm., 9 , Scotstown, Co. Monag- 

 han, in n'oss, 15/3/94 ; Alomi/ia dehellator, F., Acton Glebe, 29/8/04, this I 

 determined myself with the aid of a type kindly given me by Mr. Morley. — W. F. 

 Johnson, Acton Glebe, Poyntzpass : October 5th, 1904. 



" Petrol" ax an agent for removing grease in insects. — The great purity and 

 volatility of this substance, now so well known as a propulsive agent for motor 

 vehicles, suggested to me some time ago its use as a means of freeing insects from 

 "grease;" and having heard from Lieut. Jacobs, R.E.,at Sheerness, that a friend of 

 his was using it for that purpose with success, I resolved to give it a trial. As 

 regards Lepidoptera,! find the results compare most favourably with those obtained 

 from "Benzine Collas " or the usual qualities of benzine used for the purpose. 

 Some badly "greased" moths — e.g., Cossus ligniperda—were thoroughly cleansed 

 by twenty-four hours' immersion in " petrol ;" while its very rapid evaporation, 

 especially when assisted by blowing gently on the specimen while drying, frees the 

 body clothing and fringes almost or quite as well as ether does. The beautiful 

 " mane " of silky hairs on the thorax of Qonepteryx rhamni comes up again per- 

 fectly, while the delicate colours of this insect, Colias edusa, Lycsena bellargus, and 

 lodis vernaria—i\\e last selected as a crucial test — were not in the least affected by 

 an immersion of 36 hours. In Coleoptera, a very greasy Trichius fasciatus re- 



