112 STYLOPS. 



as the bees frequent. If the bee is examined daily, it is probable 

 that within eight or ten days she will appear as if her abdomen 

 were covered with dust. Examine this with a microscope, and in 

 all probability she will be covered with an innumerable quantity of 

 minute animals. These are the larvae of Stylops. At this stage 

 of existence, their four anterior legs are each furnished with a pad 

 (like the perfect male), by means of which they can run freely 

 over the abdomen of the bee. Now, as the bee flies from flower 

 to flower to feed, some of these little creatures get brushed off 

 with the petals, and so get left behind, until other bees come and 

 visit them, when they attach themselves to the next comer, and so 

 get carried to the nest. Here they attach themselves to the larva 

 of the bee, and bury themselves in it by degrees, soon losing their 

 legs, and becoming now maggot-like creatures, and remain feeding 

 on the substance of their victim till both arrive at maturity. 

 Judging from the multitudes of larvae produced by each female 

 Stylops^ and the rarity of the perfect insect, immense numbers — in 

 fact, the majority — of these larvae must perish, as generally only 

 one, and seldom more than two, are found to infest the same bee. 



The last peculiarity to be noticed is that these parasites do not, 

 like the Chrysididce and Ichneumontdce, destroy the victims on 

 which they feed, but, on the contrary, the larva which nourishes 

 the parasites undergoes its metamorphoses in the regular way, and 

 the bee comes forth to all appearance perfect, with its enemy still 

 in its abdomen ; and as it flies about and feeds exactly like other 

 bees, the only important injury inflicted being the prevention of 

 the development of the generative organs, and the consequent 

 sterility of the bee. On this account, in all probability, the 

 appearance of the bee is somewhat altered, the colour of the 

 pubescence undergoes a change, and, as a consequence, stylopised 

 bees have been added to the lists as distinct species. The atten- 

 tion that has been bestowed on this subject lately, and the 

 searching examinations that have taken place, will probably cause 

 all such to be removed. It is now well known that stylopisation 

 causes the pubescence in brown bees to become grey, and ren- 

 ders the males more like the females in colour and appearance. 



The bees most frequently attacked by the Stylops^ and which 



