a Genus of Dipterous Insects. 293 
rudimento. Thorax niger, postice dentibus a tergo duobus subulatis, flavis, 
et utrinque solitariis ad latera. Ale binze, hyalinze, versus apicem anterius 
puncto nigro. Abdomen (Ichneumonis) clavatum, subpedicellatum, arti- 
culis duobus ultimis nigris. Pedes flavi, femoribus anticis clavatis." 
The above is a transcript of the Linnzan characters; but from a careful 
inspection of the original figures, several additional peculiarities are noticeable 
which do not exist in the description. In the latter, the two terminal abdo- 
minal segments alone are stated to be black, but in the figure the last three 
joints are represented as more darkly coloured than the anterior part of the 
abdomen. In the description no notice is taken of the situation of the ocelli, 
nor of the terminal spines of the femora, both of which characters appear in 
the figure. The existence of spines upon the ocular peduncles neither appears 
in the description nor figures. As to the colour of the base of the abdomen no 
statement is made; but as the terminal segments are mentioned as being 
black, it is evident that the preceding joints must have been of a different 
colour, which, from analogy, may fairly be considered to be red. As to the 
situation of the spot of the wing, it is quite clear, not only from Linnzus’s 
description, “versus apicem anterius puncto nigro," but also from the figures, 
that the spot is not terminal, but placed at a short distance from the extremity 
of the wing. From the figures (which, however, in this respect are doubtless 
inaccurate,) it would seem that the ocular peduncles are more erect and less 
divergent than in the other species. Dalman has drawn up his description of 
this species from a comparison between the original description and figures, 
deeming the latter to be more deserving of attention than the former, to the 
correctness of which, however, I cannot agree; hence he is induced to con- 
sider that Linnzeus’s insect was a female, probably because the abdomen is 
clavate, and the ocular peduncles are only “longitudine thoracis ;" these cha- 
racters, however, as we have already seen, are not conclusive as to the sex. 
He also says, “ Antenne pallide seta nigra,” although Linnzeus is silent as to 
the colour of these parts. He adds, “ collari rufescenti," whilst Linnzeus 
says, “ thorax niger :” it is true, that in Linnzeus’s figure the collar is repre- 
sented of as light a colour as the head, but I think that Linnzeus would not 
have omitted to mention the difference in colour of the front of the thorax, if 
2Q2 
