206 September, 



and varied than elsewhere. T collected in the smaller area, called the 

 "Little Albufera," adjoining the Bay of Pollensa in 1900, and again 

 on two occasions, with Mr. W. Holland and Mr. A. H. Hamm, in July 

 of the present year. We much wished to collect systematically in 

 the larger and more important tract visited by Mr. Thomas and Mr, 

 Pocock, but the prevalence of malaria at Alcudia prevented us. Even 

 at Pollensa, where there is a little malai'ia, we were regularly bitten 

 by numbers of mosquitos every night (although, as Mr. Theobald 

 informs me, the specimens we brought home were only CuJex pipiens, 

 L.), and finding that mosquito curtains were unknown at the Fondas 

 in Alcudia, I decided that the risk was too great. Had I been aware 

 of the conditions I should have arranged to take portable mosquito- 

 proof coverings. 



From the above account it will be clear that only a small pro- 

 portion of the indigenous insect fauna can now be looked for in 

 Majorca. Excessive cultivation, continued from a remote historic 

 period, cannot fail to have destroyed by far the larger number of the 

 species. At the same time there is reason to hope that the remainder 

 will exhibit many features of interest. 



Minorca is probably relatively much richer than Majorca. There 

 is not that excessive devotion to agriculture which is so characteristic 

 of Majorca, but grass is grown freely, and with it a varied and 

 tolerably luxuriant vegetation. The surface of the island is much 

 flatter and less interesting, the highest hill, Mount Toro, being only 

 1150 feet. 



The first two sections, by Mr. Edward Saunders, contain an 

 account of the Hymenoptera Aculeata and the Hemiptera collected in 

 the spring of 1900 by Mr. Thomas and Mr. Pocock, and presented to 

 the British Museum of Natural History, and those collected by me 

 at the same time and presented to the Hope Department of the 

 Oxford University Museum. The specimens described below may be 

 seen in these two Institutions. I have added a few notes of locality, 

 habits, &c. The third section, by Col. J. W. Terbury, will contain 

 an account of the Dlptera collected by the same naturalists at the same 

 times and places as the Uymenoptera and Hemiptera. 



The following is an account of the route I followed in 1900. 



March 2'lth, 25th and part of 26th -Palma. Collected at Porto 

 Pi, and especially in the grounds of Bellver Castle (150 to 400 feet), 

 where flowers were very abundant. This was the most favourable 

 locality I met with during the' visit in 1900. Weather fine and sunny. 



March 26th and 27th — Valldemosa and Miramar. High ground 



