252 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



Schiner, or Becker, nor the iiicana of Steiihammer, and which does not appear to 

 have been redescribed since Haliday's time, though it is not uncommon on 

 tlie sea-coast of the east and south of England according to my own 

 experience. The species generally recognized as ranunculi (= true incana 

 Stenh.) is also present in the Haliday Collection, and was probably included 

 by him under the species of that name, but the upright outer cross-vein 

 appears to prevent it being considered the type of that species. 



The following additional characters may help to distinguish the true 

 ranunculi Hal.: — Third antennal joint yellowish in male, brownish red in 

 female (nearly all Haliday's specimens are females) ; face broad below, thorax 

 with three pairs of dorso-central bristles, one being in front of suture ; fifth 

 abdominal segment of male long, but not truncate at tip ; sistli visible from 

 above ; legs strong in male, front femora stout, middle tibiae distinctly dilated, 

 front tibiae with rather more distinct bristly hairs than usual, last joint of male 

 front tarsi somewhat dilated, pleurae aud sides of abdomen distinctly greyish, 

 outer cross-vein decidedly oblique. 



The H, chrysostoma Mg. described by Haliday, is a not uncomiaon variety 

 of above, with the face yellowish, at least this is the case with one specimen 

 so labelled in the Collection ; a second specimen also labelled " chrysostoma " 

 is griseola. 



The placing of incana Stenh. as a synonym of ranunculi by Haliday 

 himself in the Errata to Walker's Ins. Brit. Dipt., vol. iii, probably 

 accounted for the confusion that has arisen over this species ; Loew 

 (N. Beitr., vii, p. 23) obviously slurred over the character of the oblique 

 cross- vein in an endeavour to make his specimens of incana fit Haliday's 

 description of ranunculi, and subsequent writers have followed his lead. The 

 fact that Haliday makes no mention of the colour of the antennae does not 

 necessarily imply that those of his species must have been black, for we know 

 that most of his specimens were females in which the antennae are darker 

 than in the males ; and also he expressly stated that he considered the 

 colour of the antennae in species of this genus liable to variation. 



Hydrellia griseola Fin. — A large number of this very common species. 



HydrelUa tanata Hal. — Original description: — 



"Sp. 9. tarsata, H. nigro-olivacea facie palpisque flavis; femoribus 

 anticis validis, tarsis iisdem subtus flavo-tomeutosis, onychiis longiusculis 

 rufescentibus ; m. li lin. 



"Distinguished particularly by its onychii; those of the other 

 species being short and white in both sexes. 



" Found but once at Hollywood." 



