J^fJ [Jiimuiry, 



themselves readily in new countries. Mr. Chitterbuck took this specimen in 

 his own house at Gloucester, and cannot explain its introduction, but informs 

 mo that there is a nursery garden opposite ; if New Zealand ferns are imported 

 to this country, they would provide an easy means of transmission. The species 

 is not very common in its own home. — Edystard Meyrick : December 9th, 1915. 

 P.S. — Since writing the above, I have seen a second specimen taken by 

 Mr. Clutterbuck in a previous year "in his cellar" ; this would seem to sliow 

 that the species has already established itself. — E. M. 



Pairing of Lissonota sulphurifera Grm). — On August 10th of this year, I 

 was fortunate enough to meet with a pair of this Ichneumon in cop. They were 

 on bramble leaves in the ditch of one of my fiel Is. They were sitting there 

 quite quietly, and I was able, by using great caution, to get a bottle to the edge 

 of the leaf and capture them. In the male I find some slight differences from 

 the typical description. The clypeus alone is reddish, the mouth, palpi, head, 

 antennae, thorax and abdomen are all quite black ; tlie front coxae are red from 

 the middle to junction with trochanters ; the trochanters and the inter- 

 mediate and hind coxae are entirely red ; the legs are red with the hind tarsi 

 infuscate. ; the petiolar area is striate throughout ; the length is 6.^ mm. 



At the same place, a few days before, I had observed another pair in cop., I 

 think a Pimpla. In this case there were three on a bramble leaf ; $ ^ united, 

 and <J fussing round to the disquietude of the others ; the moment I attempted 

 their capture, all rushed off the leaf and disappeared in the tailgled mass below. 

 As it is very rare to observe Ichneumons paired, I make no apology for bringing 

 forward so common a species. That the same event should have occurred in 

 the same place within a few days is, I think, very remarkable. — W. F. Johnson, 

 Acton Grlebe, Poyntzpass : December 10th, 1915. 



Note on the swarming of Chloropid files, Psociclae, dlfc, in houses. — 

 It is well known that certain kinds of Chloropidae have the habit of 

 occasionally entering houses in autumn in such numbers that many thousands 

 of individiial flies may be found in a single apartment : and, moreover, that 

 siich swarms sometimes reciu* for a nvimber of years in succession in the same 

 room. The matter is one which has been referred to often in entomological 

 literature. In the Cambridge Natural History, Vol. VI, pp. 504-505, Dr. Sharp 

 states that cases have been recorded both in France and in England, and he 

 mentions specially several swarms that have taken place in Cambridge. 



Eecently I had an opportunity of seeing one of these fly-visitations on 

 a large scale. On October 15th, 1915, I accompanied Dr. A. E. Shipley to 

 Babraham House, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Adeane, about six miles from 

 Cambridge, our object being to see the swarm and to consider what could be 

 done to remove the hosts of flies, which were caiising great annoyance. The 

 swarm occurred in tAvo rooms facing south-east — the drawing-room on the 

 ground floor, and a room immediately alcove. It was very much worse in the 

 first-floor room, whore it formed a tridy astonishing sight. In the large bay- 

 window every pane of glass was densely covered with countless myriads of small 



