l86 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Apr., '17 



great mass of humanity, we thought that scientific men at least 

 were able to throw off the egotism of their own species and 

 look at nature from a detached standpoint. We can as little 

 foresee that there will be no outcome for the ants as Cuvier 

 was able to foresee the downfall of his law of correlation of 

 parts. With the human species at the present time engaged 

 in an almost universal attempt to destroy itself, it is farcical to 

 talk of its "active, progressive and fertile individualism," 

 while the success of Argentine, leaf-cutting and other ants 

 throughout the world, despite human objections, gives one a 

 sufficient basis for expecting as long a continuance of these 

 pertinacious insects on the earth as of the, one would like to 

 say, satirically named Homo sapiens. 



The Host of Ablerus clisiocampae Ash. (Hym.)-* 



The following note is in corroboration of the observations made 

 upon the host of Ablerus clisiocampae Ash. by L. T. Williams. (Psyche, 

 October, 1916.) 



In the spring of 1915, the writer bred several specimens of Ablerus 

 clisiocampae from the eggs of Malacosoma amcricana Fab., but at the 

 time was unable to make sure that the parasite had not emerged from 

 a scale insect, although it hardly seemed possible. In the spring of 1916, 

 after a few specimens of Ablerus had appeared, a number of egg 

 masses were taken from the twigs, and thoroughly examined for the 

 presence of scale insects, but none were present. With all possible 

 chance of the presence of scale insects thus eliminated, the parasites 

 continued to emerge from the egg masses in fair numbers. A repetition 

 of the experiment gave the same result. 



These observations corroborate those made by Williams and the 

 original ones made by Ashmead, that this species, contrary to the 

 habits of the family to which it belongs, does at least at times parasi- 

 tize the eggs of a Lepidopterous insect. 



In addition to Ablerus clisiocampae, three other species of parasites 

 were bred from the egg masses. They were kindly determined for me 

 by Mr. A.. A. Girault as Telenomus coloradensis Crawford. Tctrasti- 

 cluis malacosomae Girault, and Oocncyrtus sp. Of these, Tctrastichus 

 malacosomae was by far the most abundant, the other two species being 

 only occasionally found. B. A. PORTER, Amherst, Massachusetts. 



^Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory, Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College. 



