o/ various British Ins&ots. 203 



but during the present fine season I have been more successful. In 

 the beginning of the month of July I noticed a small sand-wasp bur- 

 rowing in one of the banks in the same place, which, although I was 

 unable to secure it, had so much the appearance of the insect in 

 question, that I was induced to repeat my visit to the spot, and at 

 length, after several journeys, I had the pleasure to see three speci- 

 mens flying over another of the banks. One of these at length set- 

 tled, and I perceived it at its work of burrowing in the same manner 

 as I have above described in the account of Ammophila hirsuta. So 

 intent was the insect that I secured this specimen with my fingers. 

 Immediately afterwards another settled precisely on the same spot 

 as the former, which I also secured, as I did also the third, which 

 in like manner flew to the same spot. Now, on examining the fore 

 legs of the female of this rare species, the tarsi are not strongly spined 

 at the sides, and the tibiae scarcely exhibit any ciliae at all. And yet 

 this insect is a true sand-burrower. 



Cerceris lata. This beautiful insect abounds on the northern ex- 

 tremity of the Vale of Health on Hampstead Heath. Here on the 

 24th July I observed numerous specimens of both sexes flying over 

 the flat ridges of the sand-banks, in which were many of their bur- 

 rows. It was not long before I perceived one of the females laden with 



her prey, which consists of Strophosotnus ? {one of the Curculi- 



onidce). Having captured this specimen in my net, I perceived that 

 when walking up its sides she made use of all her legs, holding the 

 snout of the weevil with her jaws alone. I endeavoured subse- 

 quently to ascertain the mode of the employment of the legs when 

 on the wing, in order to ascertain the use of the spines upon the hind 

 legs, respecting which, it will be seen on referring to Mr. Shuckard's 

 memoir on the indigenous fossorial Hymenoptera, published in the 

 first number of the Transactions of this Society, that some uncer- 

 tainty exists. This, although dijQficult, I was enabled satisfactorily to 

 ascertain by a little manoeuvre. The females, on arriving with their 

 prey, descend with it suddenly into the burrow, giving no oppor- 

 tunity of observing this ; I therefore closed the mouth of one of the 

 cells towards which one of the laden females was descending, so 

 that when she approached she was unable to find her burrow, and 

 kept flying very slowly about the spot, enabling me to perceive that 

 the four fore legs are occupied in supporting the prey, the hind legs 

 alone being extended. The males were less numerous than the fe- 

 males, but they kept hovering about the mouth of the burrows, fly- 

 ing upon the females when they approached to their work. 



Crabro {Corynopus) tibialis. I observed this rare species of Cra- 

 bro, whilst in company with the Rev. F. W. Hope, flying over the 



