10 Proceedings 
Aphides. I have never bred any of them from bramble 
stems, or from old wood, and I believe that they nearly 
always burrow in sandy soil, though I once found a large 
colony of D.¢ristis burrowing in the mortar of an old wall. 
Another of these genera of small black species is Passa- 
lecus. I have bred P. insignis from bramble stems ; P. 
cornigera and P. gracilis from old wood. 
Mellinus arvensis is one of the commonest and most 
conspicuous of the yellow-banded sand-wasps. It burrows 
in sandy places, being abundant on Redhill Common, and 
provisions its nest with various species of Diptera. Smith, 
in his “Catalogue of British Fossorial Hymenoptera,” des- 
cribes the manner in which the flies are caught. He says, 
“This is managed by running past the victim slowly, and 
apparently in an unconcerned manner, until the poor fly is 
caught unawares and carried off by the Me//inus into its 
burrow.” 
Philanthus triangulum is a powerful-looking yellow- 
banded insect which catches Bees. It captures not only 
species of Hadictus and Andrena, whose stinging powers 
are weak, but even the Hive Bee, whose sting is very 
severe. 
Cerceris is somewhat similar in appearance, though not 
so large or so formidable looking. Most of the species 
provision their nests with beetles, many of them going so 
far as to restrict their captures to one species of beetle. 
One Cevceris, however, captures small bees. 
Bembex, which is not represented in England, is remark- 
able in that it does not appear to close its burrow perman- 
ently until the larve are full grown. According to obser- 
vations on the continent, and also in India, these insects 
pay periodical visits to their burrows to supply the larvee 
with fresh food, which consists of various Diptera. 
Crabro is a very extensive and widely-distributed genus, 
some species being small and black, others large and 
yellow-banded. Some burrow in bramble-stems, some in 
old wooden posts or decaying trees, and others in hard 
ground, even in much trodden pathways. Most of them 
prey on Diptera. 
