190 August. 



Anthophila. 



Melecta ashabadenxis, Rarl. — Distinguislied from the English armata bj the 

 long second joint of the flagellum, which looks slightly conical. 



Apiart^. 



Apis mellifica, Lin. — A variety with pale hair and the base of the abdomen 

 rufous. Now that the wild bees rarely nest in the rocks, and hives have disappeared 

 from Hymettus, it would be interesting to enquire concerning the ancestral forms. 

 As regards the bouquet of wild honey, it is recorded that that of Hymettus was 

 perfumed with thyme, that of Provence with lavender, and that of Crete, Minorca 

 and Narbonne with rosemary. 



The scarcity of running water renders aquatic Neuroptera scarce ; there are 

 usually one or two dragon-flies to be seen flitting over the weeds and squirting 

 gourds at Solomon's Pools, and another locality is the Baptist's Fountain. Terrestrial 

 Neuroptera ai-e not uncommon. A small " lace wing " {Chrysopa vulgaris) is not an 

 unfrequent visitor to the evening lamp, and two small Ant Lions, that Mr. McLachlan 

 has kindly identified for me as Creagris plumbeus, Oliv., and Formicaleo tetra- 

 grammicus, F., may be noticed sitting on the grass stems in the day time. On May 

 19th the larger Palpares UheUuloides, L., commenced to take its short flights in the 

 scrub among the olives in the hollow near the Russian seminary, west of Jerusalem, 

 and subsequently it was frequently to be seen fluttering at the side of the pathways. 



Redhridge, Southampton : 

 June, 1899. 



Pairing of Myrmosa melanocephala. — As the habits of Myrmosa are so little 

 known, perhaps the following note may prove of interest. On June 7th, working 

 for Aculcates, I saw an insect half flying, half running up a bank after the manner 

 of Pompilvs, and promptly dropped my net over it. On boxing it, however, it 

 proved to be a <? Myrmosa melanocephala, with what appeared to be sand on the 

 last segments, but on closer examination, much to my surprise, proved to be the ? 

 attached and curled round in a semicircle. Possibly they mate on the ground, and 

 my appearance caused the ^ to attempt to escape with his burden, but looking at 

 the relative size of the sexes, there is little doubt that the <? could fly away with 

 the ? if necessary. — Ralph C. Bradley, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Road, Moseley, 

 Birmingham : July, 1899. 



Xiphydria dromedarius, Fab., in Suffolk. — From an oak post forming part of 

 a newly erected barbed wire fence, Mr. Ernest Elliott and I obtained at Mildenhall, 

 on the banks of the Lark, a nice addition to the SufFolk Siricids {vide Ent. Mo. 

 Mag., xxxiv, p. 213) on June 14th, 1899. This was Xiphydria dromedarius, Fab., 

 whose borings had considerably impaired the post, and were distributed through- 

 out its total height of about four feet. The bark was still in situ, and upon being 

 removed the insects' heads were visible at the exits from their tunnels, which 



