70 HYMENOPTERA. 



prey, either upon the larva, or upon the food stored up by 

 the industrious portion of the family Hymenoptera; under 

 this head, I include, of course, the bees, wasps, and the 

 numerous tribe of burrowing or fossorial species. Previous, 

 however, to entering upon this part of my subject, it will be 

 as well if I record such facts as have come to my notice 

 respecting the appearance of Hymenopterous insects during 

 the past season. 



One of the most interesting captures that has come to my 

 knowledge is that of the true Myrmica unifasciatay by 

 Mr. Lewis, who found the species at the Landslip, between 

 Luccomb Chine and Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight; this is 

 not, however, its first capture. On looking carefully over 

 the collection of Mr. Curtis, I found several specimens, 

 captured by that eminent Entomologist some years ago at 

 Dover ; I regret much that I was not aware of this at the 

 time of the publication of my Monograph on the Formicidce. 

 I have now the pleasure of recording the fact of Myrmica 

 unifasciata being an undoubted British insect, and of point- 

 ing out two localities for the species. 



In my Monograph on the British Formicid(Bj I published 

 a short account of xrlyrmica Iceviyata (^CEcophthora pusilla 

 of Heer), the house-ant of Madeira; I also stated that a 

 few specimens had been taken by myself on old walls some 

 years ago, and that it had become abundant in hot-houses at 

 Exeter and elsewhere; appended to this will be found the 

 following observation : — " The species is described here, as, 

 in all probability, it will, in the course of time, become gene- 

 rally distributed and naturalized like the Myrmica molesta, 

 our too common house-ant." The first time that I noticed 

 the Madeira house-ant is now upwards of twenty years ago, 

 this was on an old wall at Battersea; subsequently, it has 

 been found in many conservatories, &c. During the past 



