10 



Regarding tlie writer's own speciality, the Tenthredinidce, it is painful 

 to speak of ; a more disheartening task than hunting for saw-flies could 

 scarcely be imagined. From early spring to the beginning of June 

 scarcely half a dozen species were captured. On his return from a 

 Highland tour, things began to mend a bit. Lyda pratensis, L., was 

 taken in the Paisley Moss-Wood, which is unfortunately being cut 

 down. Tenthredo zonata, Panz, was beaten out of an oak at Kenmuir ; 

 while Fossil Marsh yielded Tenthredo ohsoleta, Klug, which is not only 

 new to the district, but to Britain. In all probability it will be mixed 

 tip, in collections, with the allied species, T. viridis, L., to which it 

 has some resemblance. Leptocerca Alni, L., and Croesus septentrionalis, L., 

 were taken at Cadder Wilderness. The other species taken need 

 scarcely be described, as they are generally distributed. Sirex gigas, L., 

 was taken in a shipbuilding yard at Port-Glasgow, evidently imported 

 in timber. 



I may here mention a curious incident. One day I beat a number 

 of Athalia rosce, L., out of some bushes. On examining them at home, 

 I was surprised to find among them some dipterous insects, which bore 

 a remarkable resemblance to A. rosea, and had, in point of fact, been 

 bottled for that insect. The resemblance was not merely superficial ; 

 the two-winged fly had smoky wings, with black stigma, black thorax, 

 and reddish abdomen, short black antennae, all like the saw-fly ; the 

 tarsi were all black — not merely the half of the joints, as in rosce ; but, 

 with this exception — and, of course, the difierence in the number of 

 wings — ;the " mimicry " was remarkably close ; and it would be easy to 

 pick out some of the Selandrias to which the likeness would be still 

 closer. Further, a number of rosce were given me by a collector, and 

 among them was this Dipteron ; so it is evident they have the same 

 haunts, but whether it is a true case of mimicry or of mere resemblance, 

 as is most likely, it is impossible to say, without some knowledge of their 

 respective life histories. 



The abundance of saw-fly larvae during August and the rest of the 

 autumn, made up somewhat for the paucity of the perfect insects during 

 the earlier part of the season. About sixty diflerent kinds were found ; 

 but as the images have not yet made their appearance, an account will 

 be given of the rarer species in the next Report. One or two, however, 

 may be mentioned. The larvae of one of the forms of Cimbex variabilis 

 of Klug occurred commonly at Kilmalcolm, on birch, in August. A 

 Nematus was fotmd inhabiting beautiful pea-shaped galls on Salix pur- 

 purea, at the Clyde Iron Works, and it is well worth going a journey to 



