27 5 
VI. 
NOTES ON THE ACULEATE HYMENOPTERA. 
By J. B. Bridgman. 
Read November 28th, 1876 . 
Lyst year in my notes I complained of the badness of the season; 
but what can I say of that which is just passed ? It has been bad 
indeed for theso insects, at least in this neighbourhood, and from 
reports which have reached me, not in this alone. 
The winter was long and cold, with sharp frosts quite up to the 
end of March : then April came in with a week of splendid 
weather, more like summer than early spring. The willows and 
sallows were much earlier in flower this year than last. On the 
2nd of April Andrena smithella again abounded, also the males of 
A. bimaculata and cttriceps. At the commencement of the month 
I dug out about a score of the females of A. bimaculata on 
Household ; they appeared to be generally dispersed over the bare 
loamy spots, they do not burrow deeply, and generally the mouth 
of the burrow was at the root of a tuft of grass, and partially con- 
cealed by it. The 9th was cold, a little snow fell, and was 
succeeded by a week of cold and snow. On the 16th, I took a 
female of A. nigro-cenea with a male Sty lops in it; this species is 
very rarely attacked by the parasite. I took several other bees of 
the same species, similarly circumstanced in the early part of 
the season ; this is the first time I have met with nigro-cenea 
attacked by Stylops ; those which appeared later in the season 
seemed to be free from them. On Household during this month, 
I was fortunate enough to take the local Andrena picicornis. On 
the 2 dth of the same month, I captured four males of the new 
Nomada at Brundall, of which I took two females last spring; at 
that time I expressed fears, that as the bank I found them on had 
been cut away, I should get no more, fears which I am happy to 
say were not verified, as I took the above mentioned males, and 
about a week later, sixteen females : I also found three females 
of the same species in May, at Cringleford. 
• At the end of April, Hr. Bayfield kindly sent me some very 
z 
