THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Vol. XXIV.] SEPTEMBER, 1891. [No. 840. 



TWO AND A HALF HOURS' INVESTIGATION OF THE 

 ENTOMOLOGY OF OXSHOTT. 



By T. R. Billups, F.E.S. 



On the 8th of July last I went down to that pleasant and 

 easily accessible locality in Surrey known as Oxshott. I was 

 accompanied by my friend Mr. A. Beaumont, and it is perhaps 

 unnecessary to say that our object was to add, if possible, some 

 rare insects to our collections. As the district visited by us is 

 now well known to most of our London entomologists, I need 

 hardly enlarge upon its physical or botanical features. The 

 particular day referred to was not, from a meteorological point 

 of view, a favourable one for collecting, and our captures were 

 consequently few and far between. A heavy thunderstorm 

 brought our proceedings to an early termination, and caused us 

 to beat a hasty retreat to the railway station. On our way to 

 the place of shelter we happened to pass by a private road 

 bordered on each side by a sand-bank, but as the rain was falling 

 in a veritable torrent, we could only glance at the position then, 

 making mental notes that the ground was of a promising 

 character, and that we ought to visit it again under more favour- 

 able circumstances. On the morning of the 11th July the sun 

 shone brilliantly in a cloudless sky, the wind was blowing gently 

 from the south-west ; altogether the day promised to be all that 

 could be desired, and, as I was free, I determined to investigate 

 the entomological capabilities of the spot which had so favourably 

 impressed me on my former visit to Oxshott. Unfortunately I 

 had to make the second expedition by myself, as Mr. Beaumont 

 was not able to join me. The following is a list of some of the 

 species captured by me in the short space of 150 minutes : — 



Hymenoptera. — Amongst the Heterogyna and Fossorial were 

 Formica rufa and Myrmica scahrinoides, very plentiful. Myrmosa 

 melanocephala, both sexes of this not common insect were taken, 



ENTOM. SEPT. 1891. S 



