32 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



nor have I any such in my collection. Hence we may infer that usually, 

 when Hemiteles 9 9 have the front wings entirely fuscous or banded with 

 fuscous, the % % will respectively have them either banded with fuscous or 

 entirely hyaline. Such colorational sexual characters, though very unusual, 

 are yet not without their parallel in other orders of insects. For instance 

 in Myodites Walshii, Lee. (Coleoptcra), the wings of % are hyaline, and 

 those of 9 strongly fasciate with fuscous. Conversely in the European 

 Putamanthus marginatus, Zetterst. (Pseudo-neuroptera), as I am informed 

 by Dr. Hagen, the front wings of % are tipped with fuscous, and those of 9 

 are hyaline immaculate. 



4th. Since then in Hemiteles metathoracic thorns and fasciate wings, 

 when present — which is by no means universally the case — are usually not a 

 specific but a mere sexual 9 character, the Synoptical Table which I have 

 given for this genus must be considered as applying exclusively to the 9 sex. 



We may observe here that the body of H. thyridopteryx% is very notably 

 darker-colored than that of 9 • This is the only exception with which I am 

 acquainted to a general colorational law which I have laid down, namely, 

 that in Ichneumonidfe, when sexual differences prevail as to the coloration, 

 the % body is almost universally lighter-colored than that of 9 ) whereas in 

 Tenthredinidse the converse rule holds good very generally (Proc. Em. Soc. 

 Phil. VI., p. 239). Until I saw with my own eyes Mr. Riley's specimens, 

 I rather inclined to believe that he must have made some mistake in refer- 

 ring his % 9 to the same species. The % of //. thyridopteryx is further 

 extremely remarkable for having the stigma perfectly hyaline — a peculiarity 

 which I do not remember to have noticed in any other Ichneumon Fly. 



While on this subject I may add, that I do not quite see the force of 

 Mr. Saunders' inferences {Can. Entom. II., p. 16) as to the occasional 

 hybernation of the Currant Worm in the larva state. In N. W. New York, 

 — which lies in nearly the same latitude as London, C. W. — this Saw-fly 

 comes out of the ground from the latter part of April to the fore part of May, 

 and the female oviposits shortly afterwards. The earliest flies produced from 

 this laying of eggs appearing about the last week in June. I can see no 

 r eason, therefore, why a larva might not have hatched out from the egg in 

 London, C. W., in the first week of May, 1869, spun up on Mr. Saunders' 

 paper bag on May 30, 1869, and the cocoon been noticed by that gentleman 

 fur the first time, as he informs us, on May 31st, 1869. Yet Mr. Saunders 

 from these data arrives at the conclusion that such a larva u must have 

 remained unchanged during the winter, and constructed its cocoon after the 

 22nd of May." In most insects that hybernate under ground there is a 

 considerable variation in the time at which the imago state is assumed in the 



