238 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Captures of aculeate Hymenoptera. — At the commence- 

 ment of July I took a male of Crahro scutellatus {= pterotus) on 

 Wimbledon Common, at the back of the lamning deer butt. On 

 August 1st I captured a splendid female of Hoplisus {Gorytes) 

 hicinctm in the neighbourhood of this cit3\ Aculeates have been 

 scarcer than ever this season, at least in my neighbourhood. As 

 a specimen I give the result of my last three half-days' observa- 

 tions, excluding wasps and Bombi : I saw one male Cilissa 

 tricincta, two males and one female of Andrena dorsata, perhaps 

 half a dozen small Halicti, one male Megachile centuncularis, the 

 above-mentioned Hoplisus, and a female of Crabro crihrarius. 

 This is by no means exceptional, for the same paucity of aculeate 

 Hymenoptera has prevailed throughout the whole season for the 

 last three or four years ; each succeeding year has been worse 

 than the previous one. — John B. Bridgman ; Norwich. 



Scarcity of aculeate Hymenoptera round London. — 

 Having been out on several occasions in various parts of Surrey 

 and Kent in search of aculeate Hymenoptera, and meeting with 

 hardly any success, although the places visited are celebrated 

 localities for these insects, I should be very glad to hear that 

 other collectors have been more fortunate. My own opinion is, 

 that the late severe winter and cold spring have told very much 

 upon the AndreJiidce especially. With the exception of taking 

 a very few at Sevenoaks at Easter, I have hardly found any. 

 Bombi, on the other hand, have been rather plentiful. Otber 

 aculeates have, like the solitary bees, hardly put in an appearance, 

 notwithstanding the tropical heat we have latel}' endured. Saw- 

 flies, too, seem very restricted in numbers. I hope others can 

 give a better report from other localities, which it would be 

 interesting to have in an early number of the ' Entomologist.' — 

 Y. E. Perkins; 54, Gloucester Street, S.W., July 22, 1881. 



Great scarcity of Wasps in Kirkcudbrightshire.— Last 

 year, as I recorded at the time (Entom. xiii. 228), this county 

 had to endure a veritable plague of wasps. The winter of 

 1880-81 was exceptionally severe here, as elsewhere throughout 

 Britain, and the spring was very cold and protracted. Excessively 

 hot weather, for the period of the year, commenced about May 

 8th, and continued till the end of the month. During this time the 

 large female wasps — almost all Vesj^a vulgaris and V.germanica — 



