277 
both sides, and at the south of England, and that very sparingly, 
still always with the same Andrena, though the parasite I believe 
is not always present with the Andreua. It is easy to conceive 
how a fertile female constructive bee might stray and form a fresh 
colony ; but I do not understand how the parasite finds its special 
constructive bee. This is not the only case of the kind, for Nomada 
hciccata is only found with Andrena argentata, N. borealis with 
A. clarkella, and N. sexfasciata with Eucera longicomis ; all these 
parasitic Nomada are far from common, and are never found but 
with the above mentioned sitos. At Brundali in the middle of 
July I took seven of the males of Macropis labiata, but was again 
unsuccessful in my search for the female, which has not yet been 
taken in Britain. There was a week of splendid weather after 1 
took the males, these had evidently only just appeared and were in 
fine fresh condition ; then came that memorable stormy Sunday, 
after which I did not sec another specimen. I can only hope next 
season will be more propitious. These insects were at the flowers of 
Carduus arvensis. 
Last year I remarked on the enormous quantity of female wasps 
that were about in the early spring — what a contrast to this year — 
in the spring I observed about half-a-dozen females. I have found 
one nest only this autumn, and I saw hardly any neuters except at 
that nest, and a few at the ivy blossoms in the middle of October, 
where the coldness of the weather had driven them from the 
scarceness of food. In the middle of August I found a nest of 
Bombus fragrans (which generally builds on the ground) in a bank, 
and though I dug about eighteen inches to two feet, I could not 
reach it. I took one female and fifteen workers going in or coming 
out: two of them I took going in, and one coming out of a nest of 
Bombus sublerraneus , which was about three yards further on in 
the same bank ; affording another proof that all the Bombi found 
in a nest, need not necessarily be of the same species. 
On the August Bank Holiday, I found that pretty little autumn 
species of Andrena, cetii, at the flowers of the Scabious and 
secured a good series. I had previously only taken a solitary 
female, and that in 1872. The female of Nomada xantlwsticta 
was again found at the flowers of Carduus arvensis in company 
with its male, formally known as N. mistura : these were taken 
during the latter part of July and commencement of August ; the 
z 2 
