84 [April. 



whitethorn flowers, furze and Labiates. Buttercups occasionally attract 

 good species, notably Andrcna anrjustior and some Halicti. Old tree 

 trunks, gate posts, &c., should be watched ; even brick walls, and 

 certainly stone ones, when the sun is on them, afford possibilities of 

 the chase, as species of Osmia, Odynerics, and even Prosopis sometimes 

 make their cells in their crevices. The species which inhabit bramble 

 stems mostly appear in May, and those who have collected pierced 

 stems during the winter will do well to expose them now to the sun. 

 One year I collected a very large number and tied a small muslin bag 

 over the end of each. I cannot say that the result was encouraging, 

 but a great number of Pemphredon lethifer appeared and a great 

 many parasitic IcJineumonidce, a few Crahros and a few species of 

 Passalcecus gracilis. >.'otwithstanding this poor result I think it is 

 a method quite worth following up, especially for any one who has 

 time to put the stems out in the sun and see that they are not exposed 

 for too long ; I feel sure that I killed a great many of the inmates of 

 minejby putting them in a conservatory, where the sun simply dried 

 them up. Frequently full fed larvae will live on to the second year, 

 so that it must not be taken for granted that everything has emerged 

 from the stems because the usual time for emergence has passed. 

 After the middle of June it is well to cut open the sticks and see if 

 anything is left. Some collectors extract the larvae and pupa3 and breed 

 them in glass tubes ; I have never tried this, but I believe the result 

 has been found satisfactory. 



{To he continued). 



THE DIRECT PHOTOaRAPHIC ENLAEQEMENT of ENTOMOLOGICAL 



SPECIMENS. 



BT T. A. GEEALD STRICKLAND, F.E.S. 



As I have been doing some enlargements of Coleopfera lately, nof 

 minute insects suitable for photo-micrography, but fair sized ones, I 

 think perhaps Entomologists, who have some slight knowledge of 

 photography, may like to have a few hints on the direct enlargement 

 of insects generally. When I say direct, I mean that the enlargements 

 are made direct in the camera, without the use of an enlarfrino' lantern 

 or smaller negatives. Any sized camera will do, if the stretch of 

 hfUow.'i is long enough ; but, personally, I use a 12 X 10 camera, and a 

 7i in.xS in. lens, of about 4i in. focus. The specimen to be photo- 

 graphed is pinned in the centre of an easel (a drawing block propped 

 up with books does nicely), and placed, in a good light, exactly in the 

 front of the lens, as in the diagram. 



