1897.] 139 



genus is Astata, of wbich we have two British species, neither 

 of which is common, although hoops is far from rare in some 

 places. An Astata delights to bask on the very hottest sand, and 

 will fly off with great rapidity at a very slight alarm, but will come 

 back again, after a short flight, on to the very same spot ; they are 

 most interesting insects, A. boops provisions its nests with Hemiptera. 

 Tachytes and Miscophus are two other genera whose species inhabit 

 similar localities to Pompilus, Astata, &c. Tachytes pectinipes is a 

 fairly common species, and behaves rather like a Pompilus, but is 

 easier to capture ; unicolor is much rarer ; and of lativalois 1 only 

 know a single British .example (a c^) taken by myself at Deal many 

 years ago, it may be known from pectinipes by the rich golden 

 pubescence of the face in the ^ , and by the wider apical dorsal valve 

 or pygidium of the ? . Miscophus is like a diminutive Tachytes, and 

 is most difficult to catch, its very small size and extreme agility giving 

 it quite a fair chance against the collector. Both the British species 

 are rare, but concolor is frequently tciken on the West Surrey heaths ; 

 maritima so far has only occurred at Deal ; Gorytes tumidus is also a 

 heath species, with habits of flight, &c., very like those of Tachytes. 



The greatest of the British rarities, which has not been recorded 

 in this country for over forty years, is Dinetus pictus ; it has been 

 found at Windsor and Ascot, and will no doubt turn up again, as it 

 probably escapes notice. I believe it has habits of flight rather similar 

 to those of Astata, loving to bask on the hot sand, but it is a small insect, 

 and somewhat coloured like the sand itself, so that I always feel one 

 might pass it over, although it is amply distinct from anything else. 

 Along the sides of the roads and among the heather the species of 

 AmmophiJa love to course up and down ; their ridiculously long bodies 

 will betray them at once. There are two other very interesting genera 

 which frequent heaths, Cerceris and Oxyhelus. Cerceris may be known 

 in all its British species by the wasp-like colouring of the abdomen 

 and the deep constrictions between the segments ; the species are very 

 particular as to the food they lay up for their larvse, some even, so it 

 is said, always selecting the same species of beetle for the purpose. 

 C. ornata almost always selects an Ralictiis, and I have never seen it 

 carrying anything but cylindricus, but how far its knowledge of that 

 very difficult genus may extend it would be presumptuous to say. 

 C arenaria and interrupta carry off weevils, and labiata likes Halticidce ; 

 Cerceris is generally to be found flying about among the heather and 

 herbage. Closely allied to Cerceris, hut with an oval shaped abdomen, 

 is the rare Philanthus triangulum, which preys on the honey bee ; this 



