THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 105 



which it has made its home. It would seem it is only a very 

 few places in England that it thns favours with its presence ; 

 and it does not appear to have been found on the Continent 

 in any abundance. Several years ago I found the species 

 sparsely distributed on the Cotswold Hills, and it was found 

 by others on other portions of the same range ; but from 

 some localities in which it was found it has since disap- 

 peared. Last year several specimens were taken by my friend 

 Mr. Marsden, of Gloucester, in the same neighbourhood in 

 which I had taken it ; and this year 1 was fortunate enough 

 to capture eleven specimens, and Mr. Marsden has taken 

 still more. Owing to the forwardness of the season generally 

 for insects, it became a nice point for calculation when to 

 look for this rarity with the prospect of finding it. It is 

 generally due from' the 14th to the 20th of June ; but this 

 year I took the first eleven specimens on the 6th of June. 

 Most of them were in good order, though one or two had 

 evidently been out some days. There was a strong wind 

 blowing, as there generally is on the exposed places occupied 

 by L. Arion ; and doubtless this tends to quickly damage the 

 delicate plumage ; the spot most frequented by them was, 

 however, partly sheltered by a stone wall. They were taken 

 in company with L. Alexis, which often seemed to take a 

 pleasure in following and flying round its not very " big 

 brother." The same locality subsequently yielded as many as 

 were taken on 'the first day, while all the district round about, 

 though much of it is of the same character, was perfectly 

 clear of them. This tends to show that the species is very 

 local in its habitat. On another spot some miles distant, but 

 of a similar broken character, the species was also found, the 

 area, however, being still more contracted. The ground in 

 both cases consists of deserted quarries, from which broken 

 stone has been taken, the sides of the quarries being left 

 sloping, and thick grass, with the usual herbage of hills, 

 growing near. This lierbage includes wild thyme, sun cistus, 

 wild geranium, wild forget-me-not, milkwort, yellow trefoil, 

 and several species of coarse grass. Among those I captured 

 were a fine pair in cop., resting on the forget-me-not ; but no 

 eggs have been obtained. — J. Men in ; Gloucester, June 10. 

 'lite Large Wasps. — This spring there has been an un- 

 usually large number of the large wasps about here, and 1 



