12 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



band extending across the wing from the base of the stigma to the tip of the mar- 

 ginal cell, but always leaving a more or less extensive hyaline spot at the tip of 

 the stigma. Length 9 (exclusive of oripositor) 0.12-0.19 inch, the Canada 9 

 and one Illinois 9 attaining the largest dimensions. Two 9 from Illinois, one 9 

 from Canada ; % unknown. 



Variety fuscatus. — 9 Differs in being smaller and in being still darker even than 

 the Canada 9 , and may possibly, but I think not, be distinct. The black spot 

 inclosing the ocelli extends on to the upper posterior orbits ; the entire upper sur- 

 face of the thorax, including the scutel, is brown-black, except a narrow rufous 

 vitta on each side of the mesothorax ; and, as in the Canada 9 > the entire abdomen, 

 except joint 2, is brown-black. Legs as in the Canada 9. Wings normal. 

 Length 9 0.10 inch. One 9 from Illinois ; % unknown. 



The ground-color of tenellus, Say, is said to be li honey-yellow/' not rufous 

 as in nemativorus; he says nothing of the conspicuous basal white spot on 

 the stigma; and he describes the abdomen as " honey-yellow, blackish at tip/' 

 whereas in my palest specimen by far the largest part of the abdomen is dark- 

 colored. About the legs he says not a single word ; whence, as he gives 

 " honey-yellow " as the general color, it is to be inferred that they were 

 honey-yellow immaculate. Neither does he tell us whether he described 

 from one specimen or from fifty ', so that we are left entirely in the dark as 

 to how far the few characters which he gives may be considered as reliable 

 specific characters, and how far as mere individual variations. On the whole, 

 we must consider the question whether Cri/ptus tenetlus, Say, be identical 

 with Hemlteles nemativorus, Walsh, as one of those unimportant scientific 

 enigmas which — as Say's entire collection has perished — can never now be 

 solved with any degree of certainty, and about which it is therefore useless 

 to bother our brains any further. 



This species comes very near to H. thoracicus, Cresson, from Cuba, des- 

 cribed from a single 9, but may be distinguished as follows: 1st. The 

 ground-color is rufous, not u clay-yellow/ 7 2nd. The dorsal lines of the 

 thorax, or parapsidal grooves, are entirely obsolete, not u deeply impressed/' 

 3rd. The pleura is never " brown." 4th. The basal dark band of the front 

 wing straddles the basal cross-veins, instead of being " at the base of the 

 first sub-marginal cell." 5th. The abdomen always has joint 2 rufous and is 

 never " brown with the apical margins of the segments somewhat pale." — I 

 may remark here that in Pimpla [Cryptus~\ conqnisitor, Say (==Cr. plurv- 

 vinctus, Say), and especially in Pimpla anmdipes, Brulle; the size of the 

 largest 9 is double that of the smallest 9 , as I know from examining some 

 50 or 60 specimens of each species. So that the discrepancy in size between 

 the largest IT. nemativorus 9 (0 19 inch), and what I take to be a variety 

 of this 9 (fuscus 9, 0-10 inch), is by no means unparalleled in this 

 Family. 



