Mr. F. Smith on Hymenopterous Insects captured in India. 47 



the basal joint red, the second joint dark fusco-ferruginous, the 

 rest of the segments of a violet blue. 



Hab. Khandala ; 1800 feet above the level of the sea. 



Genus PELOPiEUS. 

 Pelopceus hilineatus, n. s. 



Female (length 8^ lines) black, the scape of the antennae yel- 

 low in front ; the prothorax has two yellow transverse spots nearly 

 touching ; the tegulse, a perpendicular line beneath them, the 

 post-scutellum, and two parallel oblong stripes on the metathorax, 

 yellow ; the apical half of the anterior femora and the tibiae, the 

 apical half of the intermediate femora, the tibiae, the apical half 

 of the basal joint of the tarsi, the trochanters, base of the femora 

 and tibiae, and basal joint of the tarsi of the posterior legs, yel- 

 low. Abdomen, the petiole yellow, the other segments beauti- 

 fully aciculate. 



Hab. Bombay. 



I cannot find any description answering to the present species, 

 and although some other species have the surface of the abdomen 

 aciculate, still it is more beautiful and conspicuously so in this 

 than in any species which I have seen. It was upon this insect 

 that the Chrysis pubescens, described above, was parasitic. This 

 fact, if any were wanting, since I have already published an ac- 

 count of Chrysis being reared from the nests of Odynerus and 

 also of Osmia, proves that the parasite feeds on the larva, and 

 not on the food stored up. Pelopceus provisions its nest with 

 spiders ; Odynerus, with lepidopterous larvae ; and Osmia, with 

 the pollen of flowers. 



PelopcBus separatus. 



This insect only differs from the preceding in wanting the 

 yellow spots on the collar and the two oblong stripes on the 

 metathorax ; the abdomen is sculptured precisely as in P. bi- 

 lineatus, and the present insect is very probably only a variety. 



Hab. Bombay. 



In a letter. Col. Downes states that the nests of this species 

 were constructed in his apartment, and he discovered one day 

 that they were partly destroyed by red ants. In a partly demo- 

 lished cell he observed an insect nearly matured ; this proved to 

 be the Hedychrum rugosa described above ; thus we learn that 

 species of Hedychrum and also of its ally Chrysis are parasites on 

 the Pelopcei. 



Genus Epipona. 

 Epipona marginata, St. Farg. Hist. Nat. Ins. i. 541. 3. 



Of this species Col. Downes says, " I must call your attention 



