190 . [Jainiary, 



is in the most exquisite and unparalleled condition." Surely all this points to tlie 

 fact that the specimens asked for by the Trustees are not needed. "Save us from 

 our friends," may well exclaim the Trustees. But did not Mr. Vandenbergh know 

 that, in August last, Mr. James English was appointed to go through the collection, 

 "and put it in proper order?" {vide Trustees' advertisement). — A. B. Faen, Dart- 

 ford : 4th December, 1878. 



Caprijlcation of the sycamore fig — Correction of an error. — In the report of 

 the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of November 6th (vide ante, p. 168), 

 it was erroneously stated that the Sycophaga crassipes, Westw., was employed for 

 the purpose of " caprification " on the sycamore fig of Egypt, in the same way that 

 the BlastophagcB are applied to the domestic fig. No such process is adopted in 

 the former case ; but the Arabs, in lieu thereof, make an incision in each fig, either 

 to promote maturity, or to prevent the figs from falling off (as is said to be the effect 

 of caprification) ; and possibly also to get rid of the Sycophagce, which crowd the 

 interior of these figs, and which avail themselves of such aperture to escape ; or 

 otherwise they gnaw a series of small holes round the crown of the fig, which 

 eventually falls in, thus affording a large space for egress. M. Lichtenstein's speci- 

 mens of Blastophaga from Slontpellier correspond with the B. grossorum, Gr., of 

 Tyrol, the females of which are jet-hlaclc, with a very short oviduct ; whereas, 

 those of the Cynips Psenes, L., from Smyrna, are rufous, and their oviduct twice 

 the length of the body. — S. S. Saunders, Norwood : December 11th, 1878. 



The genus Yespa at Worcester. — Of our seven British species, five occur here 

 within the parliamentary borough : Vespa vulgaris is, usually, plentiful ; V. ger- 

 manica is common ; V. crahro occurs occasionally ; V. riifa has occurred to me 

 twice; V. sylvestris, several specimens visited a blooming Scrophularia in the garden 

 this year. No more species of Vespa have been found by me in other parts of the 

 county. — J. E. Fletcuer, Happy Land, Worcester: November 30ih, 1878. 



Pyrus torminalis as a food-plant for insects. — The service-tree is disappointing 

 from an entomological point of view, and seems to nourish only one species peculiar 

 to it. The following list omits sj^ecies not found by me. It will be seen that both 

 the Hymenoptera and most of the Lepidoptera are hawthorn-feeders also, and that 

 but few of the species occur in considerable numbers. 



Hymenoptera : — Uriocampa adumbrata and Dineura stylata, of regular occur- 

 rence, but uncommon. 



Lepidoptera : — Eumia cratagata, scarce; Chimatobia brumata, rather common ; 

 Swammerdamia pyrella, two or three found in a season ; Ornix anglicella, not common ; 

 Lithocolletis corylifoUella, rather common ; L. torminella, common ; Nepticula 



one larva found, mining a nearly straight gallery ; N. ■ , two larvse 



foiind, mining a much contorted narrow gallery, crowded together near the foot-stalk. 



? Diptera : — A few larvse found, minute, mining indiffently either side of the 

 leaf, making a small blotch, very faintly perceptible, of the filmy appearance presented 

 by the mine of Phyllocnistis sujfusella. — Id. 



Migration of Aphides. — Dr. Kcssler, of Cassel, writes to me, that after reading 

 my " Enquiries about Plant-Lice," he sought for and found, in August, the winged 



