242 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



butterflies that have been reported from Sarepta, and which we 

 expected to come across. The most notable of these was Pontia 

 chloridice, which we were much disappointed not to find any- 

 where, although a sharp look-out was kept for it, and every 

 swift-winged white that there was the slightest suspicion of was 

 diligently netted, when this was possible. Other species that 

 we expected to see, but did not, included Satyrus autonce, 

 S. hippolyte, Oeueis tarpeia, Triphysa phryne, and Scolitantides 

 bavius ; probably we left too early for the first two species, and 

 arrived too late for the third and fourth ; with respect to the 

 last-named butterfly, it is, I believe, always rare in Russia, and 

 possibly it occurred further afield than we were able to work. 



We were at Sarepta from May 19th until June 23rd, between 

 which dates the weather was almost perfect ; bright sun from 

 morning until evening on almost every day was our fortunate 

 lot ; and there was always a cool and most invigorating breeze 

 to temper its rays. 



On June 23rd we started on the return journey, travelling 

 up the Volga as far as Nijni Novgorod, a distance of about 1200 

 miles, which took the steamer six days to accomplish. The 

 Volga boats are excellent, well fitted up, and the cuisine 

 arrangements exceedingly good ; the voyage, apart from being a 

 little monotonous, is interesting, and after our hard work was 

 very restful and enjoyable. 



I was struck with Nijni Novgorod and its district as an 

 entomological centre ; it is in the neighbourhood of what looks 

 like a great deal of promising country, which should repay investi- 

 gation. From Nijni to Moscow is only ten hours by rail ; after 

 staying a few days at the latter city I came straight to England, 

 parting from Mr. Jones at Warsaw, en route for the Tyrol. 



AUSTRALIAN HALICTINE BEES. 

 By T, D. a. Cockerell. 



Parasphecodes atronitens, sp. n. 

 2 . Length about 9^ mm. ; entirely black, the flagellum obscure 

 brown beneath ; clypeus shining, strongly but not densely punctured, 

 and with a short median sulcus ; front appearing granular, more or 

 less glistening, especially at sides ; hair of face and front very scanty, 

 fuscous, but at sides of face appearing pale and glistening in some 

 lights ; cheeks with shining white hair ; mesothorax dull, extremely 

 densely punctured, the punctures clearly visible under a lens ; 

 scutellum dullish, densely very minutely punctate, with a depressed 

 median line or sulcus ; area of metathorax minutely and obscurely 

 subplicate basally, and with a raised median line, but otherwise with- 

 out sculpture ; tubercles with a dense fringe of greyish white hair ; 



