The Aculeate 'Syinenoptera of Barraxk'pore. 115 



elephants, as the following cutting from TIic Eniprcss of 

 riuUa will show : — 



" To walk about Gaur is impossible ; there are too many 

 swamps and jungles ; the only way to get about is on 

 elephants, and even on these one's progress is sometimes 

 checked, as happened Avhen we were trying to force our 

 way through the jungle to the Dakhil Gate. We were in 

 single file, the Lieutenant-Governor and ]\Ir. Hillow, the 

 Rajah of Mymensing's agent, leading, when suddenly orders 

 were passed back to right-about-face, much shouting took 

 place, and we found that the whole line of elephants had 

 been routed by a hornets' nest, an enemy which is by no 

 means to be despised." — Eniirress, Aug., 1899 (Sir John 

 Wood bum's Tour). 



Vesjpa orieiitalis, Lin. — Only once have I found this 

 species in the Barrackpore district. A native sweet-seller 

 set up a stall one day under a peepul tree near the church, 

 and with it appeared orientalis. After a few weeks sweet- 

 seller and wasp disappeared and were not seen again. 

 Although so rare at Barrackpore, this is about the com- 

 monest wasp up-country, and even at Bui'dwan, fifty miles 

 from Barrackpore, it can be found in hundreds in the 

 native bazar. 



APID.E. 



Xomia curvipcs, Fab. — Occurred occasionally in the Park, 

 but more commonly in a grassy lane between the Barrack- 

 pore Maidan and Pulta. It likes the long " dudh " grass 

 which grows in damp ditches along hedgerows. At Xis- 

 chindipore Nvrddea it appeared in sufficient numbers to 

 be quite a feature, and the beautiful gold-brown colouring 

 and bright golden bands glittering in the sun as the bees 

 flitted to and fro against the background of emerald 

 green was an entomological pleasure not readily forgotten. 



Steganoriius iiodicoo-nis, Smith. — Somewhat rare in the 

 Park, its chief habitat being Pulta, where it is common in 

 the hot weather and rains. It is a charming little bee and 

 has a quiet weird little flight of its own, which is very 

 puzzling till you get accustomed to it. The little white 

 flowers of a species of Pulicaria are much frequented, nnd. 

 it has a habit of settling drawn up in a little compact ball 

 on the stem beneath the flower, when it is almost impossible 

 to discover it. I have been out collecting with a friend 

 a whole day where thjs bee was fairly common without 



