THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 119 



A Colony of Colletes founded at Shirley Common. — Mr. F. 

 Smith remarked that specimens of Colletes cunicularia, Linn. 

 (C. hirta, St. Fargeau), had been captured hitherto only in 

 the Isle of Wight and near Liverpool, and that a number of 

 specimens having been forwarded to him from the latter 

 place he had transported them to a suitable locality at 

 Shirley Common in 1843, and that he had reason to believe 

 that he had succeeded in establishing a colony there, as the 

 insect had been taken near the same spot in 1874 by 

 Mr. d'Arcy Power. 



Ffbruary 15, 1875. 



Variety of Strenia clathrata. — Air. Phipson exhibited a 

 singular variety of Strenia clathrata from Basingstoke, the 

 wings being nearly unicolorous (fuscous), with a few pale 

 spots. 



Indian Hymenoptera. — Mr. F. Smith exhibited an addi- 

 tional collection of Hymenoptera sent from Calcutta by 

 Mr. Rothney. It consisted of one thousand five hundred 

 and seventy-three specimens of Fossorial Hymenoptera and 

 Apidae, all in beautiful condition. There were probably not 

 more than twenty-five undescribed species; but from twenty 

 to thirty species, which were hitherto represented in the 

 British Museum by a single sex, were here most fully 

 represented. 



Fleas in a RahhiVs Ears. — Mr. Verrall exhibited a number 

 of fleas, taken two days previously, from inside the ears of a 

 rabbit, at Lewes. They were gregarious in this situation, 

 and in such a position that the animal was unable to dislodge 

 them by scratching. 



Colouring Matter from the Cockchaffer. — Mr. Dunning 

 called attention to the following extract iiom a recent French 

 paper: — "The 'Bulletin des Sciences el Arts' of Poligny 

 (Jura) gives particulars of a curious discovery by Dr. Auguste 

 Chevreuse. He had found that in decapitating living cock- 

 chafFers, an hour after they have been feeding, they yield four 

 or five drops of a colouring substance, which varies with the 

 nature of the leaves on which lliey have been feeding, and he 

 has already obtained fourteen different shades. M. Nichles, 

 Professor of Chemistry, M. Preclaire, Professor of Drawing, 

 and M. Chatelain, architect, have found that this substance 



