Short Notes and Queries. 



41 



[By the kindness of Mr. Porritt I have had under examination a number 

 of the dead bees mentioned in Mr. Varley's communication. They 

 appeared to nie to be workers of the common species, Bomhus lucorum. 

 With a view of throwing further Hght on the subject, I sent a few 

 of the specimens to Mr. Frederick Smith, of the British Museum, 

 who is the chief authority on the order Hymenoptera. He confirmed 

 my determination of the name, and then stated that he noticed 

 that the abdomen of nearly all appear to have been emptied of their 

 contents, and most have lost tiieir heads. He then suggested the 

 probability of their having been killed by birds — perhaps by a butcher- 

 bird. He knows that this bird feeds with avidity on humble-bees, and 

 once saw a shrike flying about in a bean-field where Bombi were plentiful, 

 catching them, then settling on a gatepost for a few seconds to devour 

 portions of its prey and then off again for fresh captures. He concludes 

 that he can only conjecture that a shrike or other insect-feeding bird had 

 destroyed the bees under the limetree. Of course the presence of a large 

 number of bees in any one place would naturally attract the attention of 

 such birds, and the result would be the large deposit of dead bodies at 

 the same spot. — Wm. Denison Roebuck.] 



Captures of Bare Lepidoptera at Deal. — I arrived home from a 

 collecting expedition to Deal, on August 30th, having taken the following 

 rare species, besides many commoner ones : — Lithosia pygmceola (I was 

 just too late for this, as many were worn out) ; Sterrha sacraria, one male 

 specimen ; Leucania alhipuncta, one ; Laphygma exigua, two — one very 

 fine, the other very poor ; Heliothis peltigera, two ; H. armigera, one 

 female, which has deposited eggs ; Spilodes sticticalis, only one ; S. 

 palealis, a few ; Maiyarodes iinionalis, two ; Mecyna polygonalis, two ; 

 Melia anella, eighteen ; Colias Edusa, var. Helice, eight specimens. — 

 W. H. TuGWELL, 3, Lewisham-road, Greenwich, Sept. 3rd. — [This is the 

 best list of captures we have read for a long time. — Eds. Nat.] 



Stilhia anomala NE iR Bradford. — On the 9th of August last I took a 

 single specimen of Stilhia anomula, at Shipley Glen, near Bradford ; it 

 was flying over a bed of ling {Calluna vulgaris). I believe this is the first 

 record of its occurrence near here. — J. W. Carter, Manningham, 

 Bradford, Sept. 14th. — [We believe this is the first record of the occur- 

 rence of Stilhia anomala in the West Riding. — Eds. Nat.] 



Carahus nitens oisr Greetland and Rombalds Moors. — I may state, for 

 the benefit of Mr. Crowther and others who are interested in the 

 geographical distribution of Carahus nitens, that in 1870 I took a specimen 

 of this beautiful beetle on Greetland Moor, near Halifax ; since then [ 

 have taken one, and seen two or three, from Rombalds Moor, near 

 Bradford. I believe it might frequently be found at the latter place. — • 

 J. W. Carter. 



