4966 Entomological Society. 



contemptible act of egotism as to name an insect after myself. The truth is, that 

 Mr. Stephens having with queries described a mere variety of a common and very 

 distinct species as the Apion Curtisii, it became necessary to identify the type, which 

 I did by describing it in the 'Annals of Natural History' as the Apion Curtisii of 

 Kirby's MSS. Whether Mr. Kirby's description, with many others of which I have 

 copies, were handed over to Mr. Stephens with the MSS. of the Staphylinidae, is 

 unknown to me." 



Mr. Stevens remarked that this Apion remained unique until he had the good 

 fortune to take the species at Little Hampton and near Arundel. 



The President also communicated the following note : — 



On the Genus Conops. 



" Little is known of the economy of this beautiful genus of flies, except that 

 C. flavipes has been bred from the body of an Osmia, which had nidified in bramble- 

 stems. Other species have also been stated to be parasitic on the Bombii, and Conops 

 auripes is supposed to lay its eggs on the body or between the abdominal segments of 

 Bombus hortensis. As there are eight or nine British species of Conops, some of 

 which are occasionally tolerably plentiful, it would be very desirable that Mr.Walcott, 

 Mr. Smith and other entomomologists who pay so much attention to bees, should bear 

 this subject in mind. 



" My principal object, however, is to make known the localities of two rare species 

 of Conops which are merely recorded in Mr. Walker's first volume of the Diptera in 

 the ' Insecta Britannica' as ' Rare' and ' Very rare' : — 



"1. C. macrocephala, Linn., described and figured in the ' British Entomology' in 

 1831, was first captured in England by Mr. Dale, who took a single specimen on the 

 18th of August, 1824, on the flowers of Scabiosa succisa in a meadow at West Hurn, 

 Hants, and he has taken a second specimen, on the 23rd of June, 1846, on a path in 

 Boscomb-chine, which he kindly added to my collection : I also possess another, taken 

 last summer near Rannoch, in Perthshire, by Mr. Foxcroft. They resort to Orchis 

 flowers ; and all that I have seen are females. 



" 2. C. nigra, De Geer. This species has also been captured in Scotland, in 

 Sutherlandshire, in June. Where Mr. Desvignes' specimen was taken Mr. Walker 

 does not state ; it is merely indicated as an English insect.'' 



Note on Quedius dilatatus. 

 Mr. Westwood said, with reference to the specimen of the beetle exhibited at the 

 last meeting, that he had received a note from Mr. Johnson (from whom, and uot from 

 Professor Henslow as reported, he had received the beetle), enclosing a note from 

 Mr. Wighton, of Cossey Hall, stating that, although he found the insect in a bee-hive, 

 it was in a nest of hornets built therein. 



The following notes by Mr. Newman were read : — 



The old Aurelians outdone. 



" At the November meeting Mr. Foxcroft exhibited some mutilated specimens of 



Endromis versicolor — mutilated, I mean, by sundry tears and rents in their wings. 



Every entomologist knows how these fellows wander all day long ' on amorous 



thoughts intent.' Who has not watched them in the ' Kentish glory field' at Birch, 



