1893.] 285 



BIPTERA NEW TO BRITAIN. 



BT RALPH C. BRADLEY. 



Dactylolabis gracilipes, Lw. — I captured this at Wyre Forest in 1889, but did 

 not meet with it again until this year in June, when I took it freely in a small ride 

 overgrown with heather about half a mile distant from the first locality. Mr. 

 Wainwright has several in his collection from the same district, so I expect it is 

 not uncommon. 



Qoniomyia jecunda, Lw. — Two specimens of this were taken at the same time 

 that I captured D. gracilipes in 1889. Mr. Verrall remarks that Loew's specimen 

 has an adventitious cross vein near the tip of the wing (wanting in mine) that he 

 took as an important specific character, so possibly my species may be new to science. 

 Although anxiously looked for, this insect has not yet been met with again. 



JEphelia varinervis, Ztt. — Towards the end of May a small Uphelia was not 

 uncommon by the side of a stream which runs at the bottom of my garden. I soon 

 discovered it to be something new, and on sending it to Mr. Yerrall he pronounced 

 it to be the little known varinervis of Zetterstedt. He has three specimens from 

 Derbyshire. 



Clinocera lamellata, Lw. — On September 6th, 1891, this insect was met with 

 under an arch at the overflow of a pool in Sutton Park. It was very difEcult to 

 capture, as I had to crawl under the arch, and could not use a net. I forwarded 

 specimens to Mr. Verrall, who said it was new to the list, and named it as above. 

 Loew says he took a pair in August, 1868. 



Dideafasciata,W&(i(\.— 'L was lucky enough to capture one specimen ( 5 ) of 

 this fine insect the first week in September this year, at Wyre Forest. This is a 

 decided acquisition to the British list. 



Holly Bank, Sutton Coldfield, 



Warwickshire : November, 1893. 



Sylemyia f estiva, Zett. — Since the notice which I published of this rare fly in 

 the September number of this Magazine (p. 222), the Rev. E. N. Bloomfield kindly 

 sent me word that another specimen had been captured by Mr. Piffard at Felden. 

 In a collection of Diptera made by Mr. Beaumont I have also found a third example 

 taken at Lewisham during the late summer ; and lastly, among a number of speci- 

 mens sent to me by Mr. Watkins, of Painswick, for examination, I noticed both 

 male and female of this handsome fly, which had been bred from the borings made 

 in a cherry stump by Pemphredon lugubris, F., upon which I suppose they had 

 been parasitic. — R. H. Meade, Bradford : October 24tk, 1893. 



The Hessian Fly in South Devon. — The hessian fly {Cecidomyia destructor) is 

 very abundant in South Devon this year. From the number of " flax seeds " in the 

 " gratten " and "screenings" they must have caused a considerable loss. Barley 

 seems to have been most severely attacked ; one field near Teignmouth contained a 

 " flax seed " in nearly every straw. Many of these brown puparia are left in the 

 stubble or gratten, some remaining in the straw and otliers falling to the ground. 



