PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 55 



A few days spent at Killarney returning, (in the first week in August), 

 afforded little to note. Aedes cinereus occurred again, chiefly in a disused swampy 

 gravel-pit, at the entrance of the causeway which leads to Dinis island. Leja 

 pulchella on umbelliferous flowers by the road below Tore mountain, where it was 

 first found by Mr. Curtis. Brachystoma longicornis, Diadocidia ferruginosa, 

 Mycetobia pallipes, Dolichopus discifer, atratus, atripes, serosus. Sphegina 

 clunipes, and Peplomyza litura, not unusual in the woods ; Leiopus nebulosus and 

 Strangalia armata. Othius pilicornis (first found here by Mr. Furlong), under 

 bark of felled pines, with Khizophagus cribratus (?). Ocypus olens was in unusual 

 abundance. Ascending Mangerton, by Glen-na-cappul, a white-flowered variety 

 of Pedicularis palustris was observed, not rare, on the hill side, east of the middle 

 lake of the glen ; and near the precipitous masses of rock which guard the upper 

 outlet, dripping with moisture, and tufted with Sedum rhodiola and other Alpine 

 plants, Leistus spinilabris occurred, at an elevation of more than 2,000 feet. On 

 the summit of the mountain, enveloped in a cold, driving mist, Leistus montanus 

 was sought in vain on this occasion, only Nebria nivalis and Lathrobium elongatum 

 occurring under stones resting on the black peat. A walk up the gap of Dunlo 

 afforded an apterous Aphis, at the roots of Ranunculus flammula, in such plenty 

 that the ground seemed sprinkled with little flocks of bluish-white wool ; and the 

 banks of a rivulet, near the Black Lakes, produced Cryptostemma alienum.* 

 About the rocks in the upper lake some specimens of a Halithea were observed, but 

 the ticklish footing did not admit of their capture. This genus is usually confined to 

 the sea coast, so that the attention of other visitors is invited to determine what 

 species it is which frequents the lake. 



Mr. Wright read the following paper 



ON FUNGI PARASITIC ON INSECTS J WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO SOME 

 LATELY DISCOVERED IRISH SPECIMENS. 



WITH A PLATE. 



While it often happens that insects are parasitical on plants, and while they are 

 frequently reared from the egg to the perfect state in the leaves and fruits of trees, 

 so, as it were in turn, plants often grow parasitically on insects, in either the larval 

 or perfect state. Even were I competent for the task, the rules of this Association 

 not being a botanical one would prevent me from drawing more than a passing 

 attention to the plants which are found attached to insects; and I shall, therefore, pro- 

 ceed only to give a brief outline of those insects which have been found thus invested. I 

 shall narrate them in order of their classes, giving the most conspicuous of the 

 insects in each class. Those that would wish for further details can consult O. F. 

 Miiller, on plants parasitic on insects, Dr. Mitchell's paper in Silliman's American 

 Journal, or vol. 2 of a History of Insects, published in the " Family Library." 



To begin with the 



HYMENOPTERA. 



The earliest account, I think, on record, is one given by Father Torrubia, in 

 " Apparato Para la Histoira Naturale Espaniola," published in Madrid in the year 

 1754. The Spanish author tells us that, being at a gentleman's seat, two leagues 

 from the City of the Havanna, in New Spain, on the 10th of February, 1749, he 

 found some wasps in the fields (however, they were entire the bodies, wings, and 

 all and, indeed, were perfect skeletons) ; from the belly of each wasp a plant ger- 

 minated, which grew about five spans long. The natives call this plant " Gia ;" 

 and as it is full of sharp prickles, their vulgar notion is, that the said prickles owe 

 their growth to the bellies of the wasps. Father Torrubia further informs us, that 

 he made microscopical and other observations upon them ; but, for some inexpli- 

 cable reason, of this, the most important part, we get no details. The sketch ex- 

 hibited is taken from his fourteenth plate. Edwards, in his history of rare and 

 undescribed animals, published in London about 1763, gives a copy of these wasps 

 in a corner of one of his plates of birds, and makes the following remarks upon 



* Figured (Dipsocoris alienus). 



