32 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[February 



ASTATID.'E. 



Females burrow m hard sand; they prey upon larvae of Lepidop- 

 tera and sometimes upon other Hymenoptera. 

 AsTATA, Latr. 



stigma, Fd.nz.— J acula tor, Sm. (Zool).- This rare species has been 

 twice recorded from our district, one specimen having been 

 taken at Southport by Mr. B. Cooke, on 25th June, 1879, and 

 another on Wallasey sandhills by myself, on the 5th July, 1891, 

 {v. E. M. Mag., Jan., 1892). 



LARRID.^. 



The various species of this family excavate their little tunnels in 

 many different situations; Trypoxylon flgtilus in hanks of light earthy 

 often in colonies; T. clavicerum in old timber; and T. attenatum in 

 briar sticks. The food stored up is also varied, Trypoxelon preferring 

 -spiders, and Tachytes larvse and a small grasshopper. 

 Trypoxylon, Latr. 



figulus. Linn. — Bowden occasionally, B.C. 

 Tachytes, Panz. 



pectinipes, Linn. - pompilifonnis, Sm. — Wallasey sandhills, W.G. 



SPHEGID.^. 



The nidus is formed at the end of a burrow excavated in a bank of 

 earth on sand; the prey of the various species generally consists of 

 Lepidopterous larvae, wdth the exception of A. viatica, which 

 apparently confines its attention to spiders. 

 Ammophila, Kirb. 



sabulosa, Linn. — Generally distributed B.C.; Wallasey J. T.G., 

 H.H.H., W.G. 



hirsuta, Scop. — viatica, Sm. - Soutliport B.C.; Formby, H.H.H. 



(To he continued.) 



Reports of Societies. 



THE SOUTH LONDON ENTOMOLOGICAL- AND NATURAL 



HISTORY SOCIETY. 



January i^th, 1892. — W. H. Tugvvell, Esq., in the chair. W. A. Harrison, F.C.S., 

 F.R.M.S., was elected a member. W. R. Adkin exhibited Sesia ichneumoniformis, 

 Mr. Tugwell remarked that the larvae were supposed to feed on Lotus 

 corniculatus ; Mr. Weir said it used to occur at Charlton and he thought there was no 

 L. corniculatus in that particular locality. Mr. Jager exhibited two examples of 

 Vanessa antiopa, bred by Mr. Werner of Bredenkoff, Germany, in one the dark 

 band and the blue spots on the primaries were obliterated, and in the other the 



