158 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



however bit off its four wings which were exposed, rolled it to the 

 ground anQ then deposited its load in the cell and flew away, 

 whereupon the Iledychrnm, now being wingless, had tlie perse- 

 vering instinct to crawl up the wall to the nest, and there quietly 

 deposit its egg which it placed between the pollen paste and the 

 wall of the cell which prevented the Megachile from seeing it." — 

 Westicood. 



Proctoirupidce, Egg-par asiles. In this family are placed very 

 minute species of parasitic Ichneumon-like hymenopters which 

 have rather long and slender bodies, with antennae of various 

 lengths, often haired on the joints, while the wings are covered 

 with minute hairs and most of the nervures are absent. Here the 

 ovipositor has its true function, and its puncture conveys no pain ; 

 this may be said of the remaining families of the hymenoptera. 

 These minute insects which can scarcely be distinguished b}'^ the 

 naked eye unless specially trained, are black or brown, and very 

 active in their habits. They may be swept off grass and herbage, 

 from aquatic plants, or from hot sand banks. The}' prey on the 

 wheat-flies by inserting their eggyin their larvse, in gall-midges, 

 and gall-cynips, and in fungus-eating flies, in which places they 

 should be sought. In Europe species of I'eleas lay their eggs in 

 those of other insects, especially butterflies and»moths and hemip- 

 ters where»they feed on the juices of the growing larvae and pupas 

 within the egg, coming out as perfect Ichneumons. 



" llijmar ovulorum oviposits in the eggs of other insects from 

 which the tiny parasite emerges only in the perfect state, a single 

 butterfly's egg often nourishing the transformation of many indi- 

 viduals." A species of Plalggasler, a short broad genus, lays its 

 eggs in those of the Canker-worm moth just after their deposition. 

 It is one twenty-fifth of an inch long. Another species infests the 

 eggs of the Hessian fly. Geraphron destructor, which is a larva- 

 parasite of th^ Hessian fly, is a tenth of an inch long. 



We must have many species of these insects in this country. 

 They occur in great numbers where they are found at all. They are 

 almost too small to pin, and if transfixed would be unfit for study, 

 and should therefore be put into homeopathic vials of alcohol. 



Chalcidida;. This is also a group of great extent, and like the 

 preceeding, the species are of small size; but they are of shiny 

 colors, as the name implies, being often bronzen, or metallic. They 

 have also elbowed antennao, and the wings are often deficient in 

 nervures. In some genera, including Ghalcis the hind thighs are 



