HYMENOPTEBA-ACTTLEATA. 401 



special abundance of insects in our district are as 

 yet difficult to account for fully. Among the 

 Coleoptera, C. hyhrida and many Hydradephaga 

 may be mentioned as swarming, and the rare 

 AUgalia rufa as specially abundant, some seasons, 

 and as again hardly visible for years. Among 

 the Lepidoptera the same has been noted of C. 

 Edusa, of the occasional plague C. graminis, and 

 of the notorious D. galii (the latter ably treated 

 of by Mr. W. E. Sharp in a paper in Trans., 

 Liverpool Biol. Socy., vol. VII., p. 17). It is 

 probable that the periodical abundance of A. 

 fulva is largely due to the weather during the 

 breeding season of both itself and of its several 

 enemies. It is certainly not explainable by the 

 favourite " blown over from the Continent " 

 theory of the Lepidopterist. 



A . Clarhella, Kirb. — Usually our first spring bee ; has 

 been specially noted near Manchester and at 

 Bowden, B.C.; Delamere, B.C. and E.C.T. ; 

 Rainhill, H.H.H. ; Wallasey sandhills and 

 Ledsham. 



A. nigrocenea, Kirb. — aprilina, Sm. — Abundant and 

 widely distributed over our two counties. 



A. Gwynana, Kirb. (1st brood). — bicolor, Fab. (2nd 

 brood). — Only reported so far from Hazlegrove, 

 B.C., and Rainhill, H.H.H. , but probably occurs 

 elsewhere, as it is common in North Wales. 



A. angustior, Kirb. — A scarce insect taken at Hazle- 

 grove, B.C. 



A. varians, Rossi. — Has occurred at Wallasey and 

 Chester, E.C.T., and at Rock Ferry, J.T.Gr. 



A. helvola, Linn. — Reported from Hazlegrove, B.C., 

 Rainhill, H.H.H., and Rock Ferry, J.T.G. 



