190 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
BRITISH NEUROPTERA, 1918. 
By W. J. Lucas, B.A., F.E.S. 
Alder-flies.— Sialis lutaria was noticed first on May 18th, at 
the Black Pond, Esher Common (Surrey)—probably not the 
beginning of its flight, for the species may sometimes be taken 
in April. OnJune 1st it was found at Frensham Pond (Surrey). 
Col. J. W. Yerbury gave me three examples, taken at Aviemore 
in the Highlands—males on May 25th and 26th, and a female 
on May 29th. 
Snake-flies.—On April 20th Mr. G. T. Lyle and myself made 
a lengthy search for larve and pupx of Raphidia, at Irons Hill 
Inclosure, in the New Forest. We were not at all certain where 
they might be found, but as the imagines had been plentiful in 
the spot the previous season, it seemed likely that we might 
discover where the earlier stages were passed. We at length 
found that a favourite habitation for larve and pupe was the 
dead bases whence the lower branches of Scotch fir had been 
broken off. Though decayed, these were more or less dry inside, so, 
apparently, much moisture is not absolutely necessary for these 
insects. ‘l'wo larve (by size apparently Raphidia notata) were 
obtained under the bark of a dead but standing Scotch fir. 
Judging by size alone, we found larve and pupe of R. notata and 
R. maculicollis—a dozen or more in number. Pups were some- 
times in a distinct chamber, but whether they were occupying 
one ready made by some other insect, or whether they had made 
it themselves as larve, was not clear. Usually the pupe seemed 
to be nearer the boundary of the Inclosure, while those in the 
larval stage were deeper in the wood. Possibly the former deve- 
loped earlier, owing to the fact that more sunshine reached them. 
On May 25th I captured a male imago of k. maculicollis at the 
Black Pond, Esher Common, while an imago of the larger 
species (ft. notata) was taken on the occasion of the South 
London Entomological and Natural History Society’s excursion 
to Netley Heath (Surrey) on May 81st. 
Brown Lace-wings.—In April Mr. Lyle gave me a specimen 
of Hemerobius concinnus, which he had bred from the larva. 
This he obtained when beating on April 16th. On the 18th it 
spun a very delicate cocoon of yellow silk with rather open 
meshes. In form the cocoon was a well-proportioned ellipse 
about 6 or 7 mm. long by 3 mm. wide. Pupation took place on 
the 30th, and the imago emerged between May 19th and June 
9th, but was dead and stiff on the latter date. The pupa had 
left the cocoon by an irregular hole at one end. H. quadrifasciatus 
was taken on May 31st by Mr. A. Sich, on the occasion of the 
excursion of the South London Entomological Society to Netley 
Heath already mentioned. At Aviemore Col. Yerbury took 
