ALGER—GUYOTVILLE 
155 
satisfaction to my insularity that British specimens of aegeria are 
unquestionably more beautiful than Algerine meone . 
Owing to the scarcity of Lepidoptera I was driven to pay more 
attention to other orders of insects than is my wont, and of these the 
Hymenoptera claimed the first place. On or about a sandy cliff by 
the roadside, some 300 ft. above the sea, I secured two of the 
solitary wasp Odynerus (Hoplopus) consobrinus , Duf., and with them 
a female Fossor, S'alius sp., that the late Mr. Ed. Saunders was unable 
to name; also a male of the fine Podalirius dispar, Lepel. This 
last I found more commonly at somewhat higher levels, e.g. near 
Birmandreis, circa 550 ft., where both male and female were caught 
hovering. In the same locality a male of Pararge megacra turned up. 
Beetles were not numerous, they comprised a specimen of the 
familiar Chrysomela banksii, Fabr., near the Colonne Yoirol; and an 
example of Brachycerus sinuatus, Oliv., taken by Miss Kennedy on 
a wall. This weevil has extremely hard integuments so that it 
must be difficult to masticate and well-nigh impossible to digest. A 
Cardbus found crawling on some steps in Mustapha, about 150 ft. 
above sea-level, does not appear to be represented in the South 
Kensington collection. 
At Birmandreis I took an Acridian, Bpacromia strepens, Latr., 
and my daughter took another, Tryxalis giganteus, Fuessly. At 
the same place I found the bug Enoplops scapha , Fabr.; also two 
of the black and yellow Syrphid fly Chrysotoxum italicum, Rond. 
(intermedium, Lio. & S.), an obvious mimic of a small wasp. 
Guyotville. 
February 8th. 
I spent a very pleasant day on the sand-dunes of Guyotville, 
nine miles to the west of Alger, near the terminus of the tramway, 
but it was too early for very profitable collecting. With Pararge 
meone were several Ganoris rapae, and another old friend, Chry- 
sophanus phlaeas. A solitary grasshopper put in an appearance— 
Pachytylus danicus, Linn. An ant-lion, Palpares libelluloides, Linn., 
interested me greatly. This insect runs backwards, and buries itself 
with startling rapidity in the sand which it so closely resembles. 
Among the Aculeata were single specimens of two British Fossors 
•—Philanthus triangulum, Fabr., and Pompilus plumbeus, Fabr., to¬ 
gether with a number of Odynerus consobrinus, and a small female 
bee Sphecodes sp., while the little Notogonia nigritcc, Kohl, was taken 
