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ENTOMOLOGICAL ECHOES. 

 Contributed by Frederick Smith, F.Z.S. 



During the course of the publicalion of the ' Illustrations, 

 of British Entomology,' Mr. J, F. Stephens, the author, 

 received cominunicalions from numerous correspondents, in 

 whicli localities and captures of rare and local species were 

 made known, and much valuable informaiion relative to the 

 habits and economy of others was furnished. The letters 

 were given by Mrs. Stephens, subsequent to the death of her 

 husband, to Dr. Gray, who had them bound up in a volume, 

 which he placed in my hands, with full permission to publish 

 any extracts I might make and deem sufficiently interesting. 

 The collection consists of two hundred and twenty-five 

 distinct letters, all treating more or less on Entomology. 

 The greater part relate to Coleoptera, a considerable number 

 to Lepidoplera, and but one or two to Hymenoptera and 

 Diptera. They give accounts of the occasional capture of 

 foreign species, their visits, the mode whereby they reach this 

 country, &c. — this being in some instances inexplicable ; 

 but such captiu'es it will be seen have been formerly made, 

 and will doubtless continue to be made occasionally in 

 future. 



A remarkable instance of this kind occurred a few years 

 ago, when a Brazilian wasp was taken in three widely distant 

 localities in England. On an excursion to Cornwall I took 

 up my temporary residence at Penzance, and there met with 

 a lady who collected Coleoptera, and was a resident of the 

 place. I had made her acquaintance previously on one of 

 her visits to London. She took the opportunity of my visit 

 to Penzance of asking me to name a few injects she had 

 captured in her own neighbourhood. On opening her 

 collecting box 1 at once caught sight of a Brazilian wasp. 

 To my enquiry as to where she had taken that particidar 

 insect, she at once replied, "In my own bed-room; several 

 of them flew in, and 1 caught two or three, as 1 thought it 

 was an insect 1 had not previously seen. I took those last 

 year, but I have seen others this year during July and 

 August." On u)aking further enquiries I found the window 

 of the bed-room hjoked into the harbour ol Penzance. I 

 expressed niy opinion that the wasps had been iu)ported by 

 ships trading with Brazil. My friend made the necessary 

 enquiries, and ascertained that vessels laden with raw hides 

 had entered the harbour. She was told by one of the 



