THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 123 



white flattened ichneumon larva had issued from it, and had commenced 

 the construction of its cocoon by spinning a few white threads. By even- 

 ing it had surrounded itself with a thin egg-shaped cocoon of a yellowish 

 white color, through which the movements of the enclosed grub could be 

 seen. On the morning of the 24th the cocoon was finished and was dense 

 and firm. It was of a reddish-brown color in the middle, blackish-brown 

 at each end. The perfect insect emerged on September 13th, 1881, and 

 proved to be Ophion purgattis Say. Mamestra pida is a well known 

 insect, and is treated of by Harris, Riley, Lintner and others, but I do 

 not remember seeing any account of its being attacked by a parasite. 



THE PARASITISM OF EUPELMUS ALLYNII, French. 



BY G. H. FRENCH, C.-^RBGNDALE, ILL. 



The fact that this species is a parasite in its larval state does not seem 

 to be questioned, but that it is a parasite on one or more species of 

 Isosoma is, I understand, doubted by some entomologists. For the past 

 two years the writer has had no doubt that such was the case ; but it is 

 possible the evidence upon which such a conclusion is based may not be 

 generally known. For this reason a brief summary of observations may 

 not be out of place. 



That it is a parasite on Isosoma hordei seems evident from the follow- 

 ing : A single joint of rye containing several galls formed by Isosoma 

 hordei was put into a bottle and corked up so that no insects could get 

 out or in. In due course of time a specimen of E. Allyiiii was found in 

 the bottle, and the hole from which it had gnawed its way out of one of 

 the galls was plainly to be seen. Afterward the other galls gave forth /. 

 hordei. In this case there could be no question but that the specimen of 

 E. Allytiii came from the gall made by /. hordei. If no hordei had 

 hatched from the other galls, this would have been evident, for the galls 

 made by this species are too characteristic to be mistaken by any one at 

 all familiar with their work. 



I have bred quite a number of this species from the inside of the 

 stems of wheat ; and in all cases they came from the cavities inside the 

 stalk that had been gnawed by Isosoma tritici. Though this species of 

 Isosoma makes no gall, its manner of eating the tissue around the inside 

 cavity is rather characteristic, so much so as to be readily recognised after 



