*' Pediculus Melittcs'' of Kirhij. 119 



the same locality, a fully-developed male Stijlops (S. 

 Melittce, Kirby), now in my collection. 



On the 7th May, 1877, I captm'ed a Nomada lineola 

 in the same localit}^, having no less than three fine 

 specimens of the P. Melittce affixed below the thoracical 

 region. My latest dates of captures there have extended 

 only to the following : — May 20th, on Andrena fulvescens, 

 one specimen; May 23rd, on A. Afzeliella, ditto; May 

 9th, Tunbridge Wells, one on Andrena [specific name 

 omitted, E.A.F.] ; May 10th, Norwich, on A. nigro-cenea. 



2. Of the yellow. 



The earliest specimens of the P. A ins of Linnaeus are 

 found at Hampstead towards the middle or end of May. 

 Newport removed (the 8th April) a packet of eggs which 

 M. violacens had deposited in her burrow on that day. 

 The young hexapods did not emerge therefrom until 

 25th April (17 days). 



Newport also records a specimen of Meloe proscarahceus 

 found digging her burrow for oviposition on 1st May. A 

 later batch was deposited by the same Meloe on 30th 

 May. The broods were respectively developed on 24th 

 May and 14th June. Hence Newport computes the 

 average period of their appearance from the egg to 

 absorb from four to five weeks (loc. cit., p. 305). 



I once took a Volucella plumata on the 11th June on 

 Eeigate Hill, when settled on a low flower, on which 

 Volucella I found thirty-six specimens of the yellow 

 larvae of Meloe, which I counted on my return home. 

 Intending to retain these larvae in situ, I killed this fly 

 in cyanide of potassium. I pinned and expanded it for 

 this purpose. When dry, however, two or three days 

 later, I observed that some of these larvae were still 

 alive, and none of them being attached to the hairs as 

 before, they all came off. I then removed the apparently 

 lifeless specimens to a bottle of water, to prevent con- 

 traction, where they remained immersed about a week 

 (in fact until the 20th), when, on proceeding to mount 

 these specimens, I found them still moving their legs, 

 and likely to recover from this protracted immersion, 

 during which their abdominal segments had become 

 considerably distended, leaving a wide translucent streak 

 between each, 



[At this point the manuscript w^as laid down, as the 

 author was unable to write more ; his death on the 

 following day prevented its completion.] 



