139 



specimens entirely pitohy-black, which, nevertheless, iu cerfcaiu lights exhibit a trace 

 of the ferruginous tinge. It is possible that these are a nioro mature condition of 

 the insect, in which it more closely resembles the ordinary forms of Q. fulgidus, 

 but both the latter species and Q. cruentus are liable to many variations in colour. 

 Q. fulgidus, when immature, has often a pallid ferruginous abdomen. — Id. 



Ca/pture of Oligota fiavicomis. — I have recently, during a short rustication at 

 Thames-Ditton, met with a curious example of the limited distribution of insects. 

 Some years since, Mr. S. Stevens first took a number of specimens of Oligota 

 flavicornis, Er., upon some lime trees at Kennington. These trees were afterwards 

 cut down ; and the insect has never, as far as I am aware, again occurred in any 

 quantity. During last September I fell in with it, near Esher. It was in profusion, 

 upon one particular lime tree, which did not, as far as I could see, differ in any 

 respect whatever from numerous others standing round it. From the trees imme- 

 diately in contact I beat an odd specimen or two, which, apparently, had passed 

 to them fi'om the emporium ; but some twenty or thirty others afforded not an 

 example. — Id. 



Odontoeus mdbilicornis. — I recently captured a specimen of this rare Copro- 

 phagous insect, just as it was taking flight from a heap of horse-dung on the high 

 road from Twickenham to Hanworth, about 5 p.m. — V. C. de Rivaz, 4, Shrewsbury 

 Road, Bayswater, 28W(. September, 1864. 



Hyd/nohius Perrisii. — A short time after Mr. Rye discovered this insect in 

 England, I found a pinned specimen of it among some old British Coleoptei'a 

 belonging to my father. — Chas. 0. Watekhouse, British Museum, 3rd October, 1864. 



On the late swwrms of SyrpM in the Isle of Wight. — On the 13th of August 

 many thousands of S. arcuatus were settled on Ryde Pier, and most of them were 

 paired. Neither S. pyrastri nor S. balteatus occurred there, but on the two following 

 days these species hovered in hundreds of thousands along the sea shore near 

 Cowes, and balteatus was more numerous than pyrastri. They mostly settled on 

 the wet seaweed, to which they seemed to be very partial. Arcuatus was less 

 numerous, but occurred in greater abundance at a short distance from the shore, 

 while the other two species preferred the sea line. 



On the 16th, large numbers of Syrphi were passing through the air between 

 Newport and Freshwater, and some of them were the food of wasps. On the two 

 following days pyrastri appeared to be the most common species about Freshwater 

 and Alum Bay. On the 19th and 20th the weather was cooler, and the Syrphi 

 were numerous near Black Gang Chine, in shrubberies, and such like sheltered 

 situations. During the following week at Ventnor, Shanklin, Sandown, and Ryde, 

 pyrastri and balteatus were scarce, but arcuatus was still tolerably common, and 

 was accompanied by a few nearly allied species. Two individuals of pyrastri were 

 of the variety unicolor. It may be asked by what means the usual checks on the 

 increase of the Syrphus race were diminished last yeai*, and whether all the 

 three species this year exceeded in numbers the excess of their average annual 

 amount, and on what kinds of Aphides they were dependant ? 



Pyrastri prefers the so-called sycamore Aphis, which is limited to the maple, 

 and does not belong to any of the migrating groups of Aphides. The flittinge of 



