246 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



found the parasitic larva feeding upon Monodontomerus, itself 

 a primary parasite of Anthophora. His observations were full 

 and undoubtedly correct. No more than three eggs or larvae 

 were found upon a single host larva, and 12 or 14 days appear 

 to be the time occupied in feeding. He reared the adult in 

 sects and found that the male lives on an average seven weeks, 

 and is very salacious, copulating with several females. The 

 males were few compared to the females, and as they are 

 wingless they' must necessarily be long lived. He found that 

 the Melittobia preferred the primary parasite to the bee larva. 

 He placed larvae of the Monodontomerus and also of the bee in 

 a box with the Melittobias, and found that they invariably first 

 attached themselves to the cells containing the parasitic larvae, 

 although in a number of cases they also oviposited upon the 

 bee larva. The females continue egg-laying for a long time 

 (42 days). Smith expresses the opinion that Melittobia and 

 Anthophorabia are identical. 



That careful observer, Dr. J. Giraud, in the Annales de la 

 Societe Entomologique de France for 1869, pp. 151-156, gives a 

 series of observations upon the same insect made by himself 

 near Vienna and Grenoble. He proved to his perfect satisfac 

 tion that the insect prefers to lay its eggs upon primary para 

 sites in the cells of bees rather than upon the bee larvae. Thus 

 he observed them feeding upon the larva of Monodontomerus 

 again and also upon the larvae and pupae of I/eucospis, a Chal- 

 cidid which attacks various mason bees. He has reared the 

 Melittobia from the cells of the following genera of Aculeata : 

 Chalicodoma, Stelis, Osmia, Anthidium, Bombus, Trypoxylon, 

 and Odynerus. He found that the eggs hatch in eight days 

 and that four or five larvae remain attached to each host larva, 

 whose body began to diminish in size. Fifteen days afterwards 

 they ceased to feed, transformed to pupae and in eight days trans 

 formed to adults. He was able to follow three generations in 

 the space of three months. Smith had remarked upon the 

 large size of the eggs, but Giraud states that after being 

 deposited they acquire a turgescence which augments their 

 volume. The presence of the eggs upon the body of the host 

 larvae appears to cause no inconvenience, and after they have 

 been removed with tweezers the host successfully transforms. 

 Giraud found it difficult to understand how these little para 

 sites, which have only a very weak and short ovipositor, could 

 reach the larva upon which they oviposited. To penetrate a 

 hard parchment-like cell such as that of Chalicodoma or other 

 bees and to reach the larva which does not always exactly fill 

 the cell appeared to him beyond their power, but he found that 

 the female after walking around upon the intact cell for awhile 



