64 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



book I regarded the only examples of the Osmia T had seen 

 — two, in my own collection — as small varieties of O. oran- 

 thomelana. Since that time I have received numerous 

 specimens from Germany ; and Dr. Gerstaecker has pointed 

 out the distinguishing characters, which, although slight, are 

 constant. The specimens in my own collection I captuiied 

 some years ago at Birch Wood ; and recently, on examining 

 a box of bees belonging to Mr. G. Waterhouse, I found a 

 single specimen of this species, which was taken at the same 

 locality as my own. 



MUTILLA EuKOPyEA, LiiW. 



During last autumn Mulilla EuropcBa was found in 

 several nests of Bombiis muscorum, by Miss Madeline 

 Pasley, near Wickham, Hants. The specimens of this 

 parasite were kindly forwarded to me; and on the day 

 subsequent to their reception, Prof. Brandt, of St. Petersburg, 

 informed me that he had found them also in the nests of the 

 same species of Bombiis in Russia. I have at various times 

 taken scores of nests of B. muscorum, and also of other 

 surface builders, but 1 never had the good fortune to find the 

 parasite. I suspect that Mulilla more frequently infests the 

 nests of the underground builders in this country. 



PoMPiLUS APPROXIMATUS, Smith. 



In addition to the nine recordedfBritish species of the 

 genus Pompilua I have to add a tenth, taken by Dr. David 

 Sharp, in Dumfries. It closely resembles P. niger, but it is 

 a larger insect : its mandibles are entirely black, except the 

 extreme apex, which is obscurely' rufo-piceous. P. niger has 

 three teeth in the mandibles, one large and two small ones. 

 The new species has a single tooth, which is only slightly 

 notched inwardly ; the third submarginal cell is quadrilateral, 

 and is considerably larger than the second submarginal, and 

 the nervures of the wings are much stronger than m P.iiiger. 

 The latter insect always has the third submarginal cell either 

 triangular or petiolated : in the male that cell appears to be 

 always petiolated. The distinctions enumerated will serve to 

 distinguish the new species : I propose to name it Ponipilus 

 approximains. 



