19000 248 



tolerable condition, although handled somewhat roughly at first, being suspected of 

 stinging abilities of a high order. — J. R. Malloch, Bonhill, Dumbartonshire : 

 September, 1900. 



Occurrence of Stilbum splendidum, F., v. amethystinum, F., in England. — A 

 ? of tJiis insect was captured by the Rev. H. Matthews on the window of his study 

 at Foxton Vicarage, Leicestershire, in March, 1868. How it got there is a puzzle, 

 as Mr. Morice informs me that this variety is Asiatic, and not European at all. — 

 Philip B. Mason, Burton-on-Trent : September 10th, 1900. 



T'espa austriaca, Panz., in Scotland. — I have this year taken this rare wasp on 

 two occasions in this district, namely — near Drumshoreland, West Lothian, June 4th, 

 a "queen;" and near Tynehead, Mid-Lothian, August 18th, three males (along 

 with many of T. sylvestris) on flowers of Angelica sylvestris. Mr. E. Saunders 

 has confirmed my identification. I am not aware of any previous record of the occur- 

 rence of this interesting inquiline form in Scotland. I may add that I found an 

 underground nest of V. sylvestris near Dunbar in July. — William Evans, 38, 

 Morningside Park, Edinburgh : September 13th, 1900. 



Andrena lapponica, Zett., in Scotland. — On 26th May last I discovered a colony 

 of this bee (Mr. Saunders has kindly identified specimens for me) in a bank by the 

 side of a moorland road, near Balerno, in this county. Both sexes were common 

 about the burrows, and a few females were taken at the yellow blossoms of some 

 Whin bushes close by. On the 29th and 30th females were met with plentifully at 

 flowers of Vaccinium myrtillus (blaeberry) in a wood a few hundred yards off ; and 

 subsequently, on July 10th, one was captured near Kirknewton, a few miles farther 

 west. The true A. lapponica of Zetterstedt was added to the British list (from 

 Kent) so recently as November last (Ent. Mo. Mag., 1899, p. 262), and it has since been 

 reported from Cumberland, but the present is believed to be the first record of its 

 occurrence in Scotland. The A. lapponica of Smith's Catalogue has proved to be a 

 distinct species now known as A. apicata, and the A. lapponica 1 of R. Service's 

 Dumfries list (Scot. Nat., vol. v, p. 63), for the loan of a specimen of which I have 

 •to thank Mr. Service, turns out to be A.fucata. — Id. 



Chortophila buecafa parasitic? on Andrena. — Mr. A. Piffard's interesting note 

 on this subject in the August number of this Magazine {ante p. 190), prompts me to 

 mention the following facts : — On 12th June last, while watching a colony of 

 Andrena fucata on the side of an old quarry near here, I noticed that the bees, on 

 approaching their burrows, were almost invariably attacked by a small greyish fly of 

 which there were numbers about the bank. Thinking that the life-history of the fly 

 might in some way be mixed up with that of the bee, I caught one of the flies and 

 took it to my friend, Mr. P. H. Grimshaw, who, prior to seeing Mr. Piffard's note, 

 identified it for me as Chortophila buccata. When passing the quarry a short time 

 afterwards I broke down a couple of feet of the bank and found in holes in it a 

 number of empty Dipterous pupa cases. — Id. 



