316 ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FOE 1866. 



Hylurgus piniperda, and Scolytus destructor, were observed crawl- 

 ing on Whitley sands, close to the sea — a curious locality for 

 bark-eating beetles : whence they came I could not determine. 

 Thyamis suturalis was found sparingly at Gosforth and at Whit- 

 ley. Scymnus nigrinus is from the north-end of Whitley sands. 

 The beautiful Strangalia-4i-fasciatum, and Rhagium bifasciatum, 

 were found near Witton-le-Wear, by my friend Mr. Maling. 

 Mr. Crotch found Antliophagiis alpinus to be abundant on the 

 top of Cheviot in July, and single specimens of the very rare Lath- 

 robium angusticolle, and Cryptohypnus maritimus, at Tetholm. 



For Symenoptera the year 1866 has been, with us, one of the 

 worst on record, no doubt the effect of the wet and cold previ- 

 ously mentioned. Even ants, generally so abundant, were scarce. 

 I found a small colony of the rare Myrmica denticorne beneath a 

 stone at Whitley, but it only contained ten workers : the closest 

 search could not unearth the other sexes. The only fossorial 

 insect seen in abundance was Ilellinus arvensis, which, burrow- 

 ing in dry sand, beneath the tangled sward, would appear to 

 have escaped destruction. Of Pompiles two commoners only (P. 

 plumbeus and globus) have been taken — both on the sea-coast. 

 Crabro clavipes was the only one of this genus seen. I have not 

 for some years seen any of the wood-boring species of Crabro, 

 although constantly on the look for them. Odynerus spinipes 

 has been noticed, but very sparingly. Wasps would appear to 

 have been nearly totally wanting : not one male or female, and 

 only three workers, did I see the whole season. Bees have for 

 some years been very scarce with us, and still continue so, two 

 species of Halictus (rubicundtis and cylindricus), five of Andrena 

 (aneraria, albicans, Clarhella, and two small ones), and a single 

 female of Megachile circumcincta, forming the sum total of my 

 captures. JBombus lucorum was the only one of the genus in any 

 abundance. I also saw muscorum, senilis, syharum, Scrimshi- 

 ranus, and hortorum, but only in numbers sufficient to show that 

 they have not become extinct. Their parasites the Apathi were 

 equally rare. One benefit came out this dearth of species — we 

 had no Saw-fiies. Our gooseberry bushes at Long Benton are 

 generally defoliated by the larva of Remains dorsalis, but this 



