1900.] 55 



taken actually at these flowers, one was sitting among the raspberry 

 bushes on the ground, and the other was flying over a patch of wild 

 thyme in blossom. Three specimens, as follows, ^ , 10/7/99, (^, 16/7/99, 

 ? , 20/7/99, w^ere taken in a space which might literally have been 

 covered with a sheet. 



Xtlota confinis, Zett. 



A specimen of this species is to be found in Mr. Verrall's col- 

 lection, and was taken, I believe, at Three Bridges, Sussex, but 1 

 cannot trace any report of its capture. 



At the meeting of the Ent. Soc. previously referred to, I exhibited 

 a pair taken as follows, the ^ at Eannoch, 6/7/98, the ? at Kingussie, 

 22/7/98. 



During the month of July of the present year (1899), I found 

 the species in some numbers at Aviemore ; it affects the dwarf aspen 

 scrub, and is fond of sitting on the leaves basking in the sun. I 

 should have liked to have added X. ahiens, Mg., to my list of captures, 

 but, unfortunately, some doubt exists as to the correct identification 

 of the Scottish insect — two closely allied but distinct species exist 

 within our isles : the one inhabiting England (Herefordshire, Forest 

 of Dean, New Forest) I have heretofore considered to be X.Jlorum, 

 F., the other (the Scottish insect) I identified as X. ahiens ; in Mr. 

 Verrall's collection, however, the specimens are identified in the 

 reverse manner. 



Neither of these species agrees satisfactorily with Scbiner's de- 

 scriptions as given in " Fauna Austriaca, Die Fliegen," vol. 1, pp. 

 356, 357, but whether this is due to our English specimens being local 

 races of the two species, tending possibly to unite them together, 

 or to the want of appreciation by Scbiner of the true distinctions 

 separating them, I will leave to others to decide — possibly the appear- 

 ance of Mr. Verrall's long expected volume on British Syrpliidce may 

 enlighten us on the point. 



Cynomtia alpina, Zett. 

 The only exact English locality I know of for this species is 

 Shucknell Hill, in Herefordshire. Mr. Bradley, however, reports the 

 species as common at Sutton Coldfield (Warwickshire). In Scotland 

 I found it in fair numbers near Nethy Bridge on 16/8/99, and in 

 July, 1899, it was common round Aviemore. Mr. Grimshaw records 

 the species from Ayrshire (Annals of Scottish Natural History, 

 January, 1897, p. 23), and there is the report of a specimen taken at 

 Old Aberdeen (The Scottish Naturalist, vol. 1, p. 18) ; although this 



