220 NOTES ON SOME PECULIARITIES OF INSECT LIFE IN 1861. 
Near Lannercost, and up to the village of Banks, the same species 
had colonized the gardens, using the branches of the goose-berry 
bushes on which to suspend their nests. I was often asked to catch 
the hordes of “‘tartars” with my ‘“fly-catcher,” a task however — 
which I “ most respectfully” declined. One of the ground wasps 
would appear to have tenanted a fallow-field, at Walton-wood- 
head, and were so desperate in their attacks on horses and men, 
that the farmer had to cease work until the nests were sought out, 
and their inmates destroyed. Also very extraordinary was the 
occurrence of the common species of Apathus, (A. campestris and 
barbutellus,) in very nearly their usual numbers, whilst the species 
of Bombus, of which they are parasites, were in such diminished 
numbers, that certainly not more than one fiftieth part of the 
usual number of individuals of our commoner species (muscorum 
pratorum, lucorum, lapidarius, and hortorum) were noticed; of the 
rarer species (senzlis, fragrans, sylvarum, Derhamellus, or Scrim 
shiranus) not a single specimen was seen during the whole sea- 
son. The only species of solitary bee taken was Megachile circum- 
cinctus, of which I caught a pair on the sands near South Shields, 
and these were only about one half the size of the specimens, 
from the same colony, which I took the previous year. During 
the whole season J only saw one Fossorial insect, Crabro dimidiatus, 
although I kept a sharp look out for them, the tribe being a 
great favourite of mine. Ants I think, also, were tolerably 
numerous, Mr. Perkins and I observed Formica rufa in great 
plenty, in the woods near Bothal, and I noticed Formica nigra 
in much of its usual numbers, when in Cumberland, in June. 
The commoner yellow ants were plentiful also, near the ballast 
heaps at South Shields. Harwigs were neither common nor 
destructive in gardens; and they were very few in numbers on 
the sea-coast, where they swarm in ordinary seasons. In Col- 
eoptera some good things were taken, which will be noticed else- 
where. I never recollect a season in which so few saw-flies were 
astir; the only species noticed was the one which infests the 
gooseberries. Hemipterous insects were exceedingly scarce, 
and although the water species were plentiful enough, yet many 
of them wanted wings, most likely from the deficiency of heat. 
