1001.] 73 



3rcl, 1898, I visited this to obtain a series of Nomada fern(fjin(ifii, wliicli was rather 

 eoiimuiu with its host, and while watching for these bees to ap])ear noticed several 

 specimens of Sphecodes which were appearing from and disappearing into the holes 

 in the same way as the Nomada. I captured half a dozen, which all proved to be 

 <S'. pilifrons, and were all females. Of course they may have been boring there 

 quite on their own account, and the association with the Andrence have been purely 

 accidental ; but combined with Mr. Morice's observations, we may take it as strong 

 circumstantial evidence that the Sphecodes were there in attendance upon the An- 

 drence, either as parasites or as inquilines. I quote this case in particular, because 

 of the decided isolation of the colony from other Aculeates. — Colbran J. Wain- 

 WRIGHT, 2, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham : February 9tk, 1901. 



Note on Piezodorns liturattis, Fab. — On May 16th, 1900, I was examining 

 a gorse hedge for insects and found a great number of this Hemipteron disporting 

 themselves in the sunshine. I was somewhat surprised to see the insect in May, 

 as I found that Mr. Saunders, in his " Hemiptera-Heteroptcra," mentioned 

 autumn as the time for its appearance. On my mentioning the matter to him 

 Mr. Saunders kindly explained that he gave autumn as the most usual time of 

 its appearance. I was curious, therefore, to see whether it would appear here in 

 the autumn, and accordingly kept a careful watch on the place where I had 

 observed it in May. My watch was i-ewarded, for on October 18th, on a line 

 bright morning, I found the gorse again occupied by numbers of these insects, and 

 extending my observations to other parts of my farm, I found them present in 

 numbers on almost every furze bush I examined, and on this occasion I met with the 

 larva also. I thought, of course, that I had seen the last of Fiezodorus, for a day 

 or two afterwards I went back to the place and could not see one. However, 

 on November 17th the sun was shining brightly on the southern side of the 

 hedge, and there were the insects basking in the genial beams, and I again met with 

 the larva. I should mention that though the south side of the hedge was bright 

 and warm tlie other side was quite the reverse, for tliere was a keen north wind 

 blowing. I have yet another appearance to record. This morning, December 6th, 

 between 11 a.m. and 12 noon I was walking past the hedge and thought I would 

 take a look for my insect friends, and sure enough there they were sitting in the 

 snuggest and sunniest corners and getting as much of a sun-bath as they could. 



It would seem from the above observations that this insect hibernates and 

 comes out of its retreat on any sunny morning to bask in the sunshine. I noticed 

 both forms of colour as mentioned by Mr. Saunders, viz., either all olive-green or 

 else with hinder parts of pronotum and elytra purple. I also noticed that some 

 had the under-side grey instead of green. 



I shall now try to describe the hirva. Antennse, head, pronotum, and embryo 

 elytra, black ; dorsal sui-face of abdomen brownish-black, with three raised trans- 

 verse lines, jet black ; the interspaces red, these lines do not reach the sides ; the 

 edges, that in the perfect insect would be the segments of the connexivum, are 

 alternately blact and red ; under-side, fore-parts black ; ventral segments of abdo- 

 men brownish-black, as above, and edges similarly coloured; legs black; the head, 

 pronotum and embryo elytra, are rugose ; length, when full grown, 8 mm. 



These larvoe ai"e very badly behaved in captivity, for all that I took, except one, 



H 



