( lxxiii ) 



1 expect the , has to be very fresh to attract the ; ;, for 

 if not fertilised the eggs start developing parthenogenetically, 

 and then probably she will not call the $ J." 



" April 27. 



" 1 have to-day had another go at Si //lops in the field, and 

 this will probably complete my observations for this year, as 

 most of our Stylops are now. over for the season. 



" On the 25th I took my eldest boy to Churston, between 

 here and Dartmouth, as Andrena nigroaenea, Kirby (host of 

 Stylops melittae — Geoffrey Smith's and Hamm's species, 

 common in the Parks at Oxford) is commonly stylopised 

 there. Unfortunately we only found a few, from which the 

 J Stylops had emerged, and some with $ $, and we saw no 

 Stylops on the wing. However, my fever was still high and 

 the sun was very hot, and consequently I had to sit down in 

 the shade for a considerable part of the few hours I was 

 out. 



" On the 26th I did no Stylops work. To-day I started 

 about 9.30 (i. e. 8.30 a.m. old time) to the Stylops field near 

 my house. The gorse hedge was still partly in shade and 

 the grass very wet with the heavy dew, but at the very same 

 bush where I found the other ' assembly ' I saw one or two 

 Stylops hovering and struck at these. I boxed 6 ] j from 

 this stroke, and some escaped through the meshes ! One of 

 these I caught in my hat as it flew off (this being included 

 in the 6). This was about 10 a.m. (9 a.m. vere). I saw no 

 more for more than an hour, when at the other extremity of 

 the long field several were seen hovering above and behind 

 the gorse (which forms the front of the hedge) about a lot of 

 briars and brambles. On a dead stiff stem of briar I saw a 

 space of several inches absolutely white with a moving mass 

 of $ Stylops just close to where the others were hovering. 

 I struck at these, but gof hopelessly caught up in the thorns, 

 and 1 could see many of the Stylops escaping from t he net. 

 When I got free. I boxed 7 J out of the net, and still some 

 others escaped through the meshes. I distinctly saw a 

 stylopised $ Andrena wilkella, Kirby, fly heavily oil' when 1 

 struck at the Stylops on this occasion. There could not 



