isoo.] 207 



In form it is elongate and almost parallel-sided. The head is black, scarcely 

 wider than the thorax, very much produced between the antennae, so as to appear 

 almost rostrate from a dorsal view, its sides behind the eyes parallel, posterior 

 margin excavated and closely applied to the thorax ; pronotum red ; mesonotum 

 and metanotum black ; propodeum red, the red portion and the black subequal in 

 length ; sides of the thorax parallel ; pronotum posteriorly scarcely concave, propo- 

 deum strongly so and closely applied to the base of the abdomen, its lateral angles 

 produced and dentate. Wings rather short, slightly dusky, with three submarginal 

 cells, 2nd and 3rd each wider than high, the 3rd wider than the 2nd ; posterior 

 vein of the hind-wing united to the median by a transverse nervure at a point some 

 distance before the latter branches (this is the chief character of the subgenus). 

 Legs black, tibiae and tarsi very slightly spinose, anterior pair of the latter with no 

 metatarsal comb ; calcaria white or nearly so. Abdomen aciculate, with a narrow 

 band of grey pubescence covering the apex of the Ist and the base of the 2nd seg- 

 ments, and a second covering the apex of the 2nd. Long., 8 mm. 



The (J is very like the $ in shape, but quite black ; its white calcaria, like those 

 of Calicurgus hyalinatus, being a very marked character. 



St. Ann's, Woking : 



August ISth, 1900. 



Callicera cenea, F., in Lincolnshire. — I had the great pleasure of taking a fine 

 example of this beautiful Syrphid near Little Bytham, a village about 12 miles 

 south of Grantham, on the occasion of an outing with the Lincolnshire Naturalists' 

 Union. One of our members also picked up an example of the curious little bug, 

 Podops inunclus. This would seem to be the most northerly record for this 

 species. —Alfred Thobnley, South Leverton Vicarage, Lincoln: July \Qth, 1900. 



Acherontia Atropos in Notts. — I received a short time ago a fine specimen 

 alive of this insect, taken on June 23rd, not far from here. This would seem 

 to be a very early date for the appearance of this species, but I have no doubt it 

 represents the normal course of its life history. The method of forcing out the 

 imago about the end of August or September by those who rear the moth from the 

 larva, making it appear to be a much later insect than it really is : I would mention 

 also that Amphidasis betularia var. Doubledayaria has been unusually common here 

 this year. I have taken fine fresh looking females almost up to date of writing. 

 It is a rare thing to get the typical form now, at all events about here. — Id. 



Fruit damaged by Moths in South Africa. — In the interesting field notes on 

 S. African Lepidoptera, published by Mr. Barrett in a recent number of this 

 Magazine (p. 142, ante), I observe that his correspondent has, after careful obser- 

 vation, arrived at the conclusion that various moths of the genera Sphiiigomorpha, 

 Acheea, Serrodes, ^'c, are the cause of the fruit-rot which is unfortunately so 

 frequent in many parts of S. Africa, especially among peaches. This used to be a 



