102 1. Johnson. — Some Irish Hvmenoptera Acnhaia. 35 



by Mr. A. A. Daglcish on Irvine Moor, near Glasgow.' In 

 Ireland it has been taken by Col. Yerbury at Water ville, Co. 

 Kerry.-- I do not know of any other records of its capture. 



Sphecodes ferruginatiis and 5, hyalinatus have, as far as 1 

 know, only been taken in Ireland, the former at Clare 

 Island, and the latter at Castlebar.'^ Sphecodes are small 

 black and red insects, and are said to be parasitic on Halictns 

 in the same way as Nomada is on Andrena. They certainly 

 are associated with Halictus, for where the one is found so 

 is the other. Doubt has been thrown upon the supposition 

 that they are parasitic, because Spliecodes has been seen to 

 make a burrow for itself ; but however that may be, the 

 habits of the two genera are similar, and Mr. R. C. L. Perkins, 

 who has given much attention to the matter, is convinced 

 that Sphecodes is an inquihne of Halictus. 



The species of Hahctus and Andrena make their nests in 

 the ground, but each one makes a burrow for itself, for they 

 are solitary workers ; and though a number may be found 

 together in one place, still each works for itself and resents 

 the intrusion of a neighbour. I find them here in dry banks, 

 and even on the side of the road, in fact I have nearly walked 

 on Andrena cineraria. At Portnoo I found them making 

 their burrow^s in a pathway along the sea-shore, which one 

 would have easily supposed to be too hard for the httle 

 excavators to make any impression ; they also had many 

 burrows in the sandhills. Where the locality is suitable and 

 space available, large numbers congregate, but this is only 

 an assemblage, and there is no co-operation or partnership, 

 as in the case of Hive Bees or Social Wasps. They are very 

 fond of the flowering catkins of Sallows and Willows, and 

 when there is an early blossoming of these they are among 

 the earliest visitors. At Armagh I used to take Andrena 

 clarkella among the first bees ; as soon as the catkins 

 flowered it was sure to be there. Here I have no catkins 

 near me, and I generally see A. cineraria first, in fact I have 

 not met with A. clarkella here at all. 



In the end of June last I captured a male Megachile, 

 which I was unable to determine satisfactorily. I have 



^Ent. Mo. Mag. iSgg,, p. 262. ^ Eni. }Jo. Mag., 1902, p. 33. 

 ^ Proc. R.I. A., 1911, Vol. xxxi., part 24. 



