XXXI, '20] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 189 



days elapses from the emergence of the larva to the appear- 

 ance of the adult. 



THE ADULT 



August 21, 1914 an adult emerged from a cocoon that 

 was begun August loth. She was black, wingless, had en- 

 larged anterior femora and the usual chelate tarsi. At first 

 glance she exactly resembled a very active ant. When first 

 seen she was racing wildly about the vial, pausing at times 

 for a careful preening. To see what would happen I intro- 

 duced three living and active Cicadula 6-notata into the tube 

 with this adult. As the three moved down the cage toward 

 the lighter end of the vial the dryinid sprang at them and cap- 

 tured the least active individual. She caught it at right 

 angles, bent her body around beneath the body of the jassid 

 and apparently attempted oviposition. She soon left this 

 one, approached one of the others with her antennae in rapid 

 motion before her, touched it with the tips of the antennae 

 and threw the antennae back against her thorax, stiffly for 

 a second or two, repeating this operation several times. 

 This backward antennal gesture gave her a startlingly fierce 

 and tigerish expression. Presently she made a spring, 

 grasped her victim with her jaws and chela and curved her 

 abdomen under its body as if searching for a place to pene- 

 trate with the ovipositor. Beginning at the neck she gradu- 

 ally worked down across the thorax until she reached the 

 opening bet\veen the second and third segments of the abdo- 

 men when the tip of her abdomen was thrust in and held 

 there for at least a minute. Meanwhile the jassid was lying 

 limp and helpless, and without any effort to escape. While 

 ovipositing the parasite appeared to be chewing on the jassid's 

 thorax but seemingly did no harm. When released the jassid 

 shook itself, seemed much disturbed by the attack, but in a 

 few minutes was as lively as ever. Time did not permit of 

 dissection to learn if an egg had actually been placed. 



Similar attacks have several times been observed. The 

 parasite usually steals slowly up on her prey with quivering 

 antennae, at times throwing these rigidly back against the 



