BY EDWARD DOUBLEDAY. 413 



In Hymenoptera I have taken three specimens of a fine 

 fossorial insect ; these are all males ; the females I could not 

 obtain ; they have black abdomens, with lemon-coloured lateral 

 spots. These fine insects are here known by the name of 

 " horse-guards," not from any supposed resemblance to the 

 useless bipeds mounted on quadrupeds, which are called by 

 this name in your land of liberty, but because they are really 

 horse-guards, flying round the horses to catch the Tabani 

 which annoy them. These Tabani serve as pabulum for their 

 young, whose residence is in a deep burrow. There being but 

 a single horse here, and he mostly at work in the ship-yard, 

 the horse-guards have extended their tender care to the pigs. 

 You would laugh to see me coursing after a pig, and trying to 

 catch one of these huge creatures as it continued hawking 

 round him ; as often as I struck at him with my net, the pig 

 gave a loud grunt, and started off again, scaring away the poor 

 horse-guard, so that after a long and vain chase I was obliged 

 to give it up. 



I have just seen a fork-tailed kite. These moonlight nights 

 the mock-birds sing most sweetly, but they do not equal the 

 English nightingales. They enjoy sitting on the roof of a 

 house or out-building. One in this neighbourhood exactly 

 imitates the whip-poor-will and the wood-thrush, which latter 

 bird is far from common here ; I have not seen one lately. I 

 much want to obtain the pui'ple grosbeak, which occurs here, 

 also some of the large grey pelicans; these look exceedingly 

 odd, both flying and fishing ; I have sent men out after them, 

 but they are too shy. 



I have taken a species of Omophron very like Umhatum, and 

 nine specimens of a Cicindela that is new to me ; above it is 

 nearly black, the elytra having a white apical lunule, and in 

 the female there are three small white dots on each ; the labium 

 is white ; there is a white lateral downy line on the meso- and 

 metathorax, the abdomen beneath is green, the first and second 

 segments excepted, which are either fulvous or castaneous. 

 It is about the size and figure of C. Germaiiica. This does 

 not run on the shore like several other species, but a few rods 

 inland.^ 



We have two species of Cicada here ; one of them is 



* In case the species described by Mr. Doubleday should be new, (and I 

 know of no North American species answering to the description,) I would 



