368 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



I. — Excellent localities for liidincation, both in the fre- 

 quent escarpments of crumbling Triassic sandstone inland, 

 and in the sandhills of the coast — both places where many 

 species delight to burrow ; also considerable variety of 

 soil, including plenty of clay, for other specialised species. 

 The mountainous and limestone country in the North, as 

 yet unworked by local Hymenopterists, should produce 

 additions to our fauna, as well as the high hills extending 

 along the East. 



II. — A varied flora, rich in flowers frequented by 

 Aculeates, especially in the sandhills districts, which are 

 already attractive to them as good places for their burrows. 

 The uncultivated pine and heather-clad regions also 

 favour many species. 



III., IV., Y. and YI. — The Aculeate Hymenoptera 

 delight above all things in warmth, dryness, sunshine and 

 absence of wind ; cold and wet in their breeding seasons 

 are very destructive to them. From this it will be seen 

 that our sandy coasts are again more suited to the 

 Aculeates than our inland localities, but that our district 

 as a whole compares very unfavourably with others in the 

 Midlands and in the east and south of England in respect 

 of climate. This probably explains the undoubted scarcit}^ 

 of these insects in Lancashire and Cheshire, compared 

 with their great abundance in many districts more 

 favoured meteorologically. Very many common species 

 which are seen in profusion further south, require to be 

 searched for in order to discover them here in ordinary 

 seasons, though nearly all have occasional years when they 

 appear more numerously. 



VII. — The growth of our population, with resultant 

 building operations, smoke, fog and reduced sunshine, a? 

 well as golf clubs and kk summer camps," have caused 

 many species of the gregarious burrowing Aculeates to 



