218 [October, 



after a long period of enquiries and negotiations, I obtained permission 

 to enter and the loan of the necessary key. This was on July 2nd, 

 when I was pleased to find the work of the colony re-commenced, but 

 less advanced than last year, and the (^ (^ not only abundant (so that 

 I secured a nice little series of them) but decidedly outnumbering 

 the ? $ . After taking several pairs in copula I left off collecting, 

 and simply watched for developments. Nothing happened, however, 

 beyond what I have already recorded. Again the only Chrysids 

 visible (and as before never visiting the tubes) were ignita (rarely) 

 and cyanea (abundantly). Again Trypoxylon went in and out of the 

 tubes just as it had done last year. On July 7th I came again, and 

 found reniformis ^ still present, but in reduced numbers, and mostly 

 visiting flowers and hovering over grass at some distance from the 

 burrows. The tubes were evidently becoming more numerous, and 

 the ? $ were working at them steadily. There were still no Chrysids 

 about them, and their only visitor was the Trypoxylon. 



8oon after this I had an engagement to spend a fortnight in 

 Yorkshire, and, just before leaving, I went over once more with a 

 camera, and secured a couple of photographs showing portions of the 

 wall with the tubes in situ. The results are perhaps as good as I 

 could expect ; but the actual contrast in appearance between the tubes 

 and their surroundings is too slight even in nature to show up well 

 in a photograph. Their details, however, and the texture of the walls 

 themselves, are sufiiciently well brought out to make the photographs 

 interesting records to myself, though by no means " brilliant pictures." 

 At this last visit 1 saw no more (^ ^ . I am not sure of the exact 

 date, but it was about July 12th or 13th. 



After returning from Yorkshire 1 could not get again to Chobham 

 till August 2nd, when I spent an hour or two there in the morning. 

 The tubes were now^ apparently all finished, and, with a few excep- 

 tions, quite perfect, and of uniform size and shape. None of the 

 wasps, however, were to be seen, and only an occasional Trypoxylon 

 flitting about the tubes but not entering them. It was a cloudy and 

 windy morning ; and all I could do was to try to count the tubes (50 

 or thereabouts), and wish for better weather. That night (as may be 

 remembered) there was a great storm ; but next morning (August 3rd) 

 was bright, though cool and windy, so I rode over again and watched 

 for a couple of hours or more. I found that a good many of the tubes 

 had come to grief since yesterday — damaged perhaps by the rain and 

 wind —but many were still quite perfect. Still, however, no specimens 

 of reniformis aj)peared. There were a few Odyneri on the wing round 



