I89I.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



i6i 



specimen. I was agreeably surprised to find two C lineola in the 

 umbrella, also one Driliis flavescens (male), these were all from haw- 

 thorne, as were four fine Otiorhynchtts tenebricosiis. Telephoridce were out 

 in full force, but nearly all common species, indeed beyond taking a 

 couple of dozen of Telephovus ftiscicovnis I found nothing out of the 

 way. Several Malachius viridis turned up, but this insect is generally 

 common in Kent, Surrey, and Essex.— G. A. Lewcock. 



DIPTERA. 



MiCRODON MUTABiLis, L. — The record of the capture of this very 

 curious dipterous fly, which at first sight, when at rest, may be 

 mistaken for a bee or sawfly, will prove no doubt interesting to those 

 students who are working at that group ; the first capture was made 

 by my friend F. C. Lemann, on the i6th June, after being identified by 

 Mr. Coryndon Matthews, finding that Mr. Verrall had placed it in his 

 list in Italics, as much as to say it was a doubtful British species, 

 gave me a greater desire to capture others, consequently my friend 

 Lemann and I journeyed to the locality at Ivybridge on the 21st, and 

 were rewarded with three additional specimens, two of them falling 

 to my net, it was a glorious, sunny day, we observed that they took 

 very short flights a few inches above the ground and again settled on 

 the grass, the three captures taking just as many hours, therefore they 

 may be called scarce, and the locality local, not covering more than 

 twenty square yards. 



The national collection I believe did not possess a British specimen 

 until I presented one of the above mentioned captures. 



By Schiner's Fauna Diptem Austriaca the life history appears to 

 have been worked out for it says "The metamorphosis of the different 

 species is known ; the larva resemble small slugs, and would at first 

 be taken for such ; they are flat and fleshy on the underside, the back 

 is arched and appears moistened ; they have been found in the nests 

 o{ Formica fu sea, and under the bark of a willow species. The imagine 

 are found in wet places where they sit on tlie undersides of leaves, and 

 in the grass, and may often be taken in great numbers by sweeping. 

 They make a humming noise during flight and have little resemblance 

 to the genera of Syvphidce.'' 



