NOTES OX HYMEXOPTERA. Ill 



dently to expect, that from their present centres, they ^vill 

 spread generally, and again become as abundant as ever in 

 situations best adapted to the habits and requirements of the 

 species. 



No locality that I have visited has proved more prolific in 

 species, or has produced more rarities, than the neighbour- 

 hood of Lowestoft, in Suffolk : five years ago, both in 

 number of species and in rarities, I found that district unpa- 

 ralleled. During the past season I could not find a solitary 

 example of several species that formerly occurred in pro- 

 fusion. Finding this to be the case in old localities, I deter- 

 mined upon trying new ones, but the scarcity I found was 

 general. One instance of good fortune resulted from the 

 change. On the 27th of July, I was sweeping for Coleopiera 

 in Carleton Wood, about four miles from Lowestoft, and on 

 beating a quantity of Vicia cj-acca, I observed what I took to 

 be a species of Pompilui^y — its mode of running was exactly 

 that of a species of that genus. I secured it, and on exa- 

 mining it more carefully at home, I discovered that I had 

 captured the rare Didineus {Alyson) lanlcoryiis. That this 

 is an exceedingly rare species there can be little doubt ; it 

 was my first capture of the genus. In the thirteenth volume 

 of " Curtis's British Entomology" the first record of the 

 capture of D. lunicornis in this country is found; the speci- 

 men taken was a female, at Hastings, by Mr. Curtis himself. 

 Subsequently, the Rev. G. T. Rudd took both sexes at Ryde 

 in the Isle of Wight in 1836. I am not aware of any others 

 having been captured. 



The discovery of another rarity remains to be noticed; it was 

 made by myself. Whilst sketching the ruins of Corfe Castle 

 in Dorsetshire, a strange looking male ant alighted on my 

 sketch-book ; I therefore secured it, and to mv i^freat delio^ht 

 it proved on examination to be a male of My r mica lippalaj 



