igig. Johnson. — Rhyssa persuasoria. 117 



and that they had partly their tails out. Sir Charles 

 failed to observe this curious habit though he watched 

 frequently, but the old man is quite clear on the point, and 

 moreover declared that he noticed one day a tail sticking 

 out, took hold of it and pulled and was horrified when the 

 fly came out and dropped it hastily fearing it would sting 

 him. This is a most remarkable occurrence, and I do not 

 see how the truth of the old man's observation can be 

 impugned seeing he actually pulled Rhyssa out by the 

 ovipositor. 



Another curious thing that Sir C. Langham observed 

 was that when examining the tree after it had been cut 

 down, he noticed what looked like a piece of horse-hair 

 sticking out of two of the large holes ; these were with 

 difficulty extracted, one being broken in the process, and 

 on being examined under the microscope were seen to be 

 the terebra of Rhyssa ; in each case it was fixed tightly 

 in the wood. This looks as if Rhyssa had been surprised 

 at work and devoured by some insectivorous bird, the 

 terebra being left as unpalatable. Sir C. Langham sent 

 me the unbroken terebra and I find that it is 55 mm. 

 in length, with longitudinal grooves running the whole 

 length, somewhat flat, the surface highly polished ; there 

 are three separate points shown in this terebra, the first 

 at the end with nine teeth and running from each an oblique 

 lateral groove, the second at a distance of 5 mm. with 

 three teeth and grooved longitudinally, the teeth smaller 

 than those of first ; the third i . 5 mm. from second with 

 four teeth larger than those of second part. The second 

 and third points were blunter than the first ; the terebra 

 is hollow. 



In two other females which I received from Mr. Da vies 

 and Sir C. Langham respectively I find in one all 

 the points at the end of the terebra, in the other 

 the second and third points coalesced, and a short 

 distance from the end. I conclude from what I have 

 seen that these second and third points work up and down 

 from the first point and thus make the boring. Neither 

 Sir C. Langham nor Mr. Da vies observed any rotatory 

 motion of the insect ; the latter says he only noticed a 

 kind of pulsating of the abdomen but no movement to 



