212 CORRESPONDENCE. 



near them as to mingle tlieii' branches were as yet only in bud. I was 

 in this lane again in the early part of this year, and agani observed the 

 same circumstance, and noticed, too, that the same individual trees 

 showed exactly, the same differences with regard to their leafing. — 

 J. E. Baonall.j 



Macropis Labiata. — It is with very great pleasure that I am able to 

 report the capture of this very rare British Bee, in fact, it is the rarest 

 mentioned by the late Fred. Smith, Esq., in his intensely interesting 

 " Monograph of the Bees of Great Britain," published in 1855, and 

 where he states that only three specimens (all males) were known, 

 the last one captured by Samuel Stevens, Esq., at Weybridge, July 4th, 

 1842, more than forty years having passed before it has " turned up "' 

 again in the same county. I do not think I have gone out collecting 

 bees in July and August without believing that I should at some time 

 or other find this bee ; and so firmly have I done this, that when a 

 friend asked me just previous to my leaving London, "What do you 

 intend to catch when you are iu the country ?" I answered, " Macropis," 

 and this I did July 27th. I had just caught a large Halictus, on a 

 thistle, and whilst holding it in my fingers I observed a bee flying 

 along in a peculiar nranner, quite different to anything I had yet seen. 

 I did not wait to box the Halictus. but caught the other in a moment, 

 feeling as I did so, that it was Macropis, though I had never seen a 

 specimen in my life. I quickly examined my capture with my pocket 

 lens, and positively started when I found the wings had but two sub- 

 marginal- cells (most bees have three) ; but not feeling quite sure, I 

 handed the bee to my friend, Sir Sidney Smith Saunders, who was 

 with me at the time, and he immediately confirmed it, saying, " Why, 

 it's Macropis !'" After this I pill-boxed my grand capture, and though 

 we searched the locality for some time, no more were seen that day; 

 but on the 29th I visited it again, standing in exactly the same spot 

 for over 2^ hours, watching most intently for anything passing, and I 

 was rewarded by catching four males in succession, then a most 

 lovely female. All were flying very rapidly over a patch of Wild 

 Peppermint, but I cannot say whether they had any desire to alight 

 thereon, as I did not give them time to consider. I may here mention 

 that I would advise anyone desirous of capturing any rarity in a known 

 locality to stand still and watch rather than walk up and down 

 disturbing the flowers, for I have observed that bees (like ants) have 

 their "runs," passing and repassing the same flowers in their rapid 

 flight. Since the above dates I have taken several more specimens 

 collecting pollen from the beautiful Great Loosestrife Lysimac.hia 

 vulgaris, which grows somewhat plentifully in the neighbourhood of 

 "Woking Station, and next season I hope to find the burrows, and also 

 a few facts in the economy of this beautiful and rare bee. Mr. Bridgman 

 took specimens of Macropis in the neighbourhood of Norwich some few 

 years ago. — Fred. Enock, Ferndale, Woking Station. 



Notes from Merionethshire. — I recently observed that in the 

 process of draining a peat-bog in this neighbourhood (Llanbedr, 

 Merionethshire) a number of boulders had been taken out from a 

 trench, varying in size from one or two hundredweight downwards, 

 and that others remained, all being white, and presenting an appear- 

 ance as if they had been whitewashed. A fracture of the stone showed 

 that the change of colour penetrated only to the depth of about the 

 tenth of an inch, below which the metamorphic rock presented its 

 usual blue or green appearance. The occurrence is, I ap))rehend. not 



