NOTES ON HYMENOPTERA. 63 



full credence to every supposed correction. There has been 

 for some time past a growing tendency, still on the increase, 

 to accept at once, unquestioned, the determinations of foreign 

 Entomologist-. Every Entomologist who elicits the truth is a 

 benefactor to science; but truth is to be sought for patiently, 

 it lies deeply hidden, and is not at once to be found on the 

 surface by any one. Do not believe that anyone can intuitively 

 discover it ; examine carefully into the correctness of alleged 

 errors, and pause before giving them full credence, until they 

 are confirmed by some one competent to test their accuracy. 

 Every one is liable to error, even w^hen most sincerely 

 endeavouring to establish truth ; and under such circum- 

 stances I am convinced my old correspondent Dr. Roger has 

 stumbled. When such an obvious mistake is made, as re- 

 gards one species, by an eminent Hymenopterist, I certainly 

 think it behoves us all not to be too hasty in jumping at 

 conclusions : Homopterists as well as Hymenopterists are 

 fallible. 



Pediculus Melitt.e. — Whilst on a visit to Yorkshire 

 in September last, I captured several solitary wasps belong- 

 ing to the genus Odynerus. I was surprised, at so late a 

 period of the year, to find on most of them specimens of the 

 Pediculus Melittce of Kirby, the TriunguUnus andrenetarum 

 of Dufour. It is somewhat surprising that no one has yet 

 been able to decide whether these little hexapods are larvaa 

 or perfect insects ; judging from analogy, it will undoubtedly 

 be generally believed that they are the larvae, most probably, 

 of a Coleopterous insect. If such is the case, they must be 

 the larvag of some very common insect, and one very generally 

 distributed : excepting in colour, they exactly resemble the 

 larvEe of the genus 3IeTue. It has long been known that 

 these animals are not the larvae of Mel'de violaccus, M. 



