1001.] I^y 



Rare Aculeate Hymenoptera at Hailing, Kent. — Daring the past season, ac- 

 companied by my friend Mr. H. Lamb, I had a few hours' collecting on tiie Chalk 

 Downs at Upper Hailing. This locality, which was new to us, is situated about 

 seven wiles north-west of Maidstone, and four and a half miles south-west of 

 Rochester, proved to be rich in rare Aculeates 



On our first visit, June 5th, we took Crahro Uturatux, Panz., ? , flying about a 

 wooden fence ; Sphecodes spinulostcs, v. Hag., ? , off some rough ground on the 

 hill side; Osmia leucolemana, Kirb., O. aurulenta, Panz, Nomada ochrostoma, 

 Kirb. ; Andrena proxima, Kirb., a not uncommon species in several localities on the 

 chalk hills near Maidstone, occurred on hawthorn blossom and wood spurge ; No- 

 mada fiavoguttata, Kirb., was in company with it on the spurge ; Ceratiyia cyanea. 

 Fab., (7 and ? , on the Burnet rose, and in August I saw a ? in the head of a 

 thistle, but failed to secure it ; Andrena chrysosceles, Kirb., occurred on the hedge 

 parsley ; Osmia bicolor, Schrk., ? , Halictus IfBvigatus, Kirb., ? , were fairly 

 abundant on white beam blossom, and the $ of the latter species on ragwort in the 

 autumn. 



In August a single specimen each of Pompilus {Evagethes) bieofor, Lep., ? ,and 

 Salius obtusiventris, Sehiodte, ? ; Andrena denticulata, Kirb., in fair numbers, to- 

 gether with a few specimens of Nomada alternata, Kirb., and N. solidaginis, Panz., 

 were obtained off ragwort ; Prosopis dilatata, Kirb., ? , from the head of a musk 

 thistle ; several males of Cilissa melanura, Nyl., were taken, flying close to the 

 ground amongst the plants of a large patch of Bartsia odontites, and some females 

 early in September, whilst collecting pollen from its blossoms, C. leporina, Panz., 

 occurred in a lucerne field ; C. hcemorrhoidalis. Fab., on harebells, and Sphecodes 

 pvncticeps. Thorns., on corn camomiles ; Halictus quadricinctus , Fab., was plentiful 

 on knapweed ; H. xantkopus, Kirb., on the flowers of the hoary ragwort. 



I was also fortunate enough to take a <? of Halictus maculatus, Smith ; this is, 

 I believe, the first record of the capture of the <? in Britain. Mr. E. Saunders was 

 kind enough to confirm my determination of this species. — Herbert Elgar, Upper 

 Frant Road, Maidstone : December, 1900. 



Bembex rostrata, Linn., in Jersey. — Can any reader of this Magazine tell me if 

 this fine fossoi'ial Aculeate has ever been recorded from the Channel Islands ? I 

 have a specimen, with oi'iginal label still attached, which I captured in Jersey in 

 August, 1873. I do not mean to suggest that the occurrence of the species in the 

 Channel Islands entitles it to a place on the British list. — William Evans, 38, 

 Morningside Park, Edinburgh : November 9th, 1900. 



Blacus armatulus, Ruthe, near Ipswich. — Referring to my friend Mr. Beau- 

 mont's record of Blacus armatulus, new to Britain, in Kent in 1900,1 may mention 

 that it is probably a common species in dead bracken and other refuse in our woods 

 during the winter. Two or three specimens of B. armatulus, Ruthe, occurred to 

 me in such a situation in Bentley Woods near here in December, 1898, together 

 with the common B. {Oanychorus) ruficornis, Nees. — Claude Morley, Ipswich: 

 December, 1900. 



