166 tJ'^y- 



Bankes states that it is full-fed in April oi' May, and assumes the pupa state among 

 rubbish on the ground. I have no personal knowledge of its habits." My friend, 

 through some confusion of ideas as to the source of his information, must have 

 here written my name in mistake for that of some otiier LepidoptiM'ist, for, 

 like liim, I have no personal knowledge of the larval habits of H. simpfana, and 

 have certainly never, either publicly or privately, made any such statement about 

 them. It has not yet been my good fortune to see the insect alive in any stage. — 

 Eustace R. Bankes, Broadstairs : February \st, 1909. 



Anthrax paniscus, Rossi, in Scotland. — In his recent volume on "British Flies" 

 (vol. V, Strationiyidaj, &c.), Mr Verrall writes with reference to this fine species : — 

 " Col. Yerbury informs me that he has seen it at Aberlady, in Haddington, so that 

 it is one of the few Scotch Bomhi/lid;c." In support of this statement I may say 

 that A. paniscus is known to occur some seasons in considerable numbers in several 

 localities on both sides of the Firth of Forth. The locality between Aberlady and 

 G-ullane is well known to me, and I have taken the species there on a number of 

 occasions (July, 1898, &c.). Other localities from which I have specimens are Leven 

 Links, Fife, August, 1893 ; Tyninghame, near Dunbar, August, 1891 ; Elie, Fife, 

 August, 1899, and again July 20th, 1904, on which date it was fairly plentiful. The 

 above localities for the fly ai'e given in a note of mine in Annals of Scot. Nat. Hist, 

 for 1900, and in Mr. Grimshaw's " Diptera Scotica, iii," in same Magazine for 1903. 

 — William Evans, Morningside Park, Edinburgh : Alat/ 3rd, 1909. 



Melangyna quadriniaculata, T'err. — l have noticed for one or two seasons the 

 partiality of this species for the newly opened catkins of the sallow Salix caprwa, 

 and it has occurred to me that, if searched for in this way, M. quadriniaculata might 

 be found to be much more generally distributed than is at present believed. Both 

 the (J and $ flowers are acceptable, and the insects are very easily taken when 

 flying round low bushes. Otherwise M. quadriniaculata is a high flyer, generally 

 hovering about 15 — 20 feet from the ground, where it may be seen in the grass 

 " ridings " here pretty conmionly, any fine sunny day towards the end of April. It 

 looks a fairly large species on the wing, owing, I think, to the large wing expanse, 

 the width of the wings being rather abnormal for a Syrphid. It is always near birch 

 trees, and when its life history is known, I expect it will be found to have some con- 

 nection witli the aphides which infest these trees. — E. Maude Aldeeson, Park 

 House, Worksop : Mat/ 25th, 1909. 



Libellulafulva, MillL, at Askern, Yorkshire. — Yesterday morning I received 

 alive from Dr. H. H. Corbett, of Doncaster, an immature but beautiful <J specimen 

 of Libellula fulva, which he had taken on the previous day, May 3l8t, at Shirley 

 Pool, Askern. In 1888 Mr. Mosley took and saw several specimens, also at Askern 

 (one of which is in my own series), but since that time the species has never again 

 been recorded for Yorkshire until now. — Geo. T. Porritt, Huddersfield : June 

 2nd, 1909. 



The South London Entomological and Natural Histoex Society : 

 Thursday, May iUh, 1909. — Mr. Alfred Sich, F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



