/4 HYMENOPTERA. 



and, as T experienced, proved a great annoyance by flying 

 into railway carriages passing along the line. In the neigh- 

 bourhood of Portsmouth, Mr. Bouchard observed wasps in 

 great numbers ; these pests were so numerous that all shops 

 at which grocery or sweets were sold, were filled with them; 

 the counters, windows and walls were literally covered ; at 

 one shop the tradesman said he took no steps to get rid of 

 them, it was quite useless, but as he never disturbed or 

 molested them, he had not been stung by them. I have 

 received similar reports of wasps from several parts of the 

 country ; in Scotland I am informed they have been less 

 abundant than in 1860. 



The past season must be regarded as an unusually fine one, 

 particularly the autumnal months, which have been cha- 

 racterized as a second summer, some portion having been 

 hotter than any part of the summer months ; notwithstanding 

 this, so great a scarcity of the solitary autumnal bees has not 

 occurred in my experience ; I have always looked forward 

 to autumn, as the time when the Halicti would abound ; the 

 flowers of the hawkweed, hemlock and ragwort being 

 usually visited by them in great numbers ; but I looked in 

 vain on these flowers for my favourites, scarcely a single 

 example was to be met with. One consequence of the hot 

 autumnal weather was the forcing out as it were of some 

 individuals, which under ordinary circumstances would not 

 probably have appeared until next season ; thus, I captured 

 three males of the beautiful little Ceratina ccerulea at 

 Folkestone on the 3rd of October. 



Of the spring bees or Andrenidce, no species is usually 

 more generally distributed, or more abundant, than Andrena 

 cintraria, yet of this species I only saw one or two examples 

 even in situations where their burrows are usually found in 

 great numbers. 



