332 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The specimens are apparently referable to the B. niger of Ashmead, 

 which is slightly larger than B. miuutus, and more uniformly coloured. 

 The females are a deep black, with the exception of the pale under 

 surface of the antennal club, and of the tarsi, and, in some instances, of 

 portions of the tibiae, which are more or less piceous. 



The males at first glance look larger, but this is due to the more 

 developed thorax and to the presence of the wings. In the female the 

 thorax is the smallest of the three sections of the body, and is almost lost 

 sight of between the large head and abdomen. The head of the male is 

 large, being slightly wider than the thorax, but the abdomen is minute and 

 flattened, and the thorax robust and dorsally prominent. The antennae 

 and the legs, except the coxae, are pale yellow, as in the solitary male of 

 B. americanus mentioned by Ashmead. The scape of the antenna does 

 not reach to the anterior ocellus, which is about on a line drawn across 

 the face through the middle of the eyes ; it is as long as four of the 

 funicular joints. The pedicel is as long as the two following joints and 

 stouter; the first joint of funicle is longer than second, but not so thick ; 

 the following seven joints are submoniliform ; the penultimate is slightly 

 longer than thick, and the final joint is small and conical. The two 

 terminal joints are closely appressed, forming a small divided club. 



The wings of these four males are much longer than in the individual 

 figured by Ashmead (loc. cit., Plate VIII.), as they extend fully half their 

 length beyond the tip of the abdomen. The marginal vein is situated 

 about one-third of the length of the wing from the base and is as long as 

 the stigmal nervure, while the basal nervure is well defined. Ashmead's 

 figure shows the marginal vein beyond the centre of the wing, and indicates 

 that the specimen figured was one not having fully-developed wings. Such 

 differences in the development of the wings are not uncommon with the 

 Proctotrypids. In the case of such insects as Ba?us, of which the females 

 are entirely wingless and have the thorax in part atrophied, it is interesting 

 to find males with wings so well developed. 



Mr. Percy B. Gregson, of Waghorn, Alberta, President of the North- 

 west (Canada) Entomological Society, is leaving at once for a visit to Eng- 

 land, and does not expect to return till the beginning of March. He begs 

 that his correspondents will abstain from writing to him during his 

 absence, as he would be unable to reply to their communications. 



