1869.] 



193 



wording of his original description " abdomen a trois bandes jaunes, 

 " fort larges— la deuxieme sans echancrure anterieurement (male) — 

 " Epistome d'un jaune luisant, bord anterieur de la bouche noir — 

 " troisieme et quatrieme (segments de Tabdomen) a bande tres 

 " large, atteignant les cotes pres du bord anterieur, legerement 

 " ecbancree du c6te posterieur — ventre a bords des segments et 

 " taches trans versales noiratres. Pieds fauves ; hanches et base 

 "des cuisses noires," is I consider quite conclusive as to the 

 identity of his species : he says it may be the male of topiarius, but 

 the words " yeux nus " render that impossible. The reinstation 

 of this name will also improve a doubtful piece of synonymy, as 

 Fabricius in the Ent. Syst. described a Syrphus affinisy which, 

 however, is a Phasia (Muscidcs) ; and, in consequence of that, Schiner 

 rejects Loew's name, adopting Zetterstedt's name excisus for the 

 male. The species may be known from its allies by its yellow- 

 haired scutellum, black cheeks, and emarginate abdominal bands. 

 I believe it is widely distributed, and common in England. I have 

 captured it in two or three localities in Sussex, and also near 

 Richmond. It is frequently to be noticed in British cabinets under 

 the name of corollcB. 



11. Nitens, Zetterstedt, Dipt. Skan.j'^Tl^, 14 ? (1843). In the original 



description of this species, a single female only was described, 

 which appeared to be very closely allied to nitidicoUis, the only 

 tangible distinctions then given being the rather smaller size and 

 the much greater blackness of the femora. To this description 

 was afterwards added (Dipt. Skan., viii, 3137), that the vertex is 

 evidently narrower than in the allied species, and that the epistoma 

 has a rudiment of a brown middle line ; and a male was described, 

 probably belonging to this species, concerning which it was stated 

 that there are two oblique brown spots above the antennae, and 

 that the abdominal bands are rather undulated. The bright thorax 

 and black-haired scutellum distinguish it from all but nitidicoUis 

 and nigritarsis. In August, 1866, I captured in Sussex a female 

 very similar to nitidicoUis, with the vertex very slightly narrower, 

 with twe oblique brown spots above the antenna?, and with the 

 abdominal bands distinctly undulated and much narrowed at their 

 ends ; the epistoma has a trace of a dark middle line, the wings 

 are more pellucid, and the pubescence in general is darker, the 

 black hairs predominating on the abdomen, and the four anterior 

 femora are fringed with black hairs instead of all yellow, the ab- 

 domen is also broader. All these distinctions might show the spe- 



