206 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



flowers of knapweed (Centaurea nigra) and clover, the wings 

 being neatly roofed at an acute angle, as is the case with 

 Hydrelia uncana. In hunting for this little beauty, a switch, 

 for the purpose of brushing the herbage, is of great advan- 

 tage ; and in capturing it the net should be quickly placed 

 over it as soon as one can get within reach. — F. Bond, in 

 Enf. Mo. May. p. 214. 



135. Economy of Laverna decorella. — Mr. Barrett, already 

 so well known as a discoverer, has detected (and recorded in 

 the February number of the 'Entomologist's Monthly Maga- 

 zine ') the economy of Laverna decorella. This Micro-Lepi- 

 dopteron forms swellings or galls on the upright stems of 

 three species of willow-herb — Epilobium montanum, E. pa- 

 lustre and E. parviflornm ; the larva eats the pith, the stems, 

 when discovered, being quite hollow. In E. montanum the 

 galls are generally about the size of a large pea, and fi^e- 

 quently occupy several joints of the same stem, but do not 

 otherwise distort the plant or much impede its growth : in E. 

 palustre they lessen the distance between the joints, and 

 convert the summit into a confused mass of leaves ; while a 

 number of lateral branches, originating below the gall and 

 ascending by its side, surmount the original or natural sum- 

 mit. In E. parviflorum the attacked joints form a robust 

 mass of half-a-dozen confluent galls, on which the silken pu- 

 bescence of the plant is strongly developed. Pupae only were 

 found. 



136. Hypliidrus variegatns in Britain. — I possess a spe- 

 cimen of this insect, taken some years ago by a young man 

 of the name of iCay, who resided at Bury, near Manchester. 

 It is believed that he took it in Delamere Forest, where there 

 are natural lakes, but of this 1 cannot feel quite certain ; the 

 fact is, however, doubtless that he did take it in Lancashire 

 or Cheshire. — E. Broicn, in Ent. Mo. Mag. p. 185. 



137. Aquatic Habit of a Hymenopteron. — As 1 was ento- 

 mologizing in Sutton Park, three or four years ago, in the 

 latter part of June, I saw a Hymenopterous insect deli- 

 berately crawling along the stones under the water at the 

 bottom of a shallow stream that runs there. I thought that I 

 had killed it by pressing it with my fingers against the 

 stones, but it only feigned death, and on my taking it out it 

 flew away. It looked much like Pompilus plumbeus, and at 



