80 r April, 



size and shape with ruricoJella, and the ground-colour is similar though 

 a trifle paler, but all the markings are very indistinct and ill-defined. 

 One can, however, trace the pale interrupted plical spot, the dark 

 costal bar, the pale discal spot beyond the middle, and the row o£ dark 

 spots at the base of the apical fringes, w-hich are all present in ruri- 

 coJdJa, and the head and hind- wings agree exactly with those of that 

 species. The oblique dark plical spot differs from that in typical 

 ruricolella and cloacella, being continued to the dorsal margin instead 

 of ending abruptly before it, but the shape of this spot is very variable 

 in both species, and individuals occur in which it reaches the margin. 

 The cilia, although showing a dark apical line as usual, are unicolorous 

 pale greyish-ochreous instead of being chequered with fuscous, as 

 in ordinary ruricolella, but this is only to be expected in an aberration 

 in which all the markings tend to become obsolete. 



It will be noticed that I treat ruricolella, Stn., as distinct from 

 cloacella, Hw., whereas some authors, including Mr. Meyrick in his 

 " Handbook," sink the former as a variety of the latter: my reason 

 is that, after studying these forms, I am by no means convinced of 

 their identity, but am inclined to think that Stainton was right in 

 separating them, and would lay stress as he does (Man., ii, 292) not 

 only on the difference in the markings, but also on the much neater 

 and smoother appearance of ruricolella as compared with any of the 

 numerous known varieties of cloacella. I have never been so fortunate 

 as to meet with genuine ruricolella in nature, but the late Mr. W. 

 Machin, who, in 1893, bred a few specimens of it, without any cloacella, 

 from fungus collected in Swanscombe Wood, Kent, and sent them to 

 me for determination, was strongly of opinion that they represented 

 a species truly distinct from the latter. 



The Rectorj, Corfe Castle : 



February 10th, 1897. 



HINTS ON COLLECTING ACULEATE HYMENOPTERA. 



BY EDWABD SAUNDEES, F. L. S. 



{Continued from page 35). 



Amongst the early spring Aculeates I ought to have mentioned the 

 Humble Bees and their Cuckoos, and the Wasps. Of all these, the 

 females hibernate in an impregnated condition and come out on the 

 first suitable spring days to recommence w^ork. Humble Bees may be 

 found at this season either buzzing about banks looking for suitable 

 localities for their nests, or at the flowers of sallows, almonds, furze 



