196 The Ohio Journal of Science [Vol. XVIII, No. 6, 



while clinging to it with the front pair of legs, the sting of the 

 dryinid is thrust forward beneath her body and into the ventral 

 side of the abdomen of the jassid. If the latter jumps, both fall 

 to the ground ; and in this case the process of stinging is similar 

 to the above-mentioned species. With other species the 

 sting is thrust in different places on the host, according to various 

 observers. While the hopper is struggling, the parasite may 

 be seen trying to locate a vulnerable spot in its host's armor. 

 This always seems to be in the thin membrane separating 

 adjacent segments. Once stung the hopper is paralyzed, and 

 it is then dragged to a convenient place for oviposition. In 

 several instances the parasite dragged the stunned jassid around 

 the vial for some time before stopping to oviposit. In doing 

 this the mandibles are used, the wasp backing around, dragging 

 the host after it. In many cases the host was oviposited in 

 immediately. In the case of opaque nymphs, before the 

 ovipositor is inserted, the sting can be seen working this way 

 and that with extreme rapidity, just beneath the cuticle. 

 It is finally withdrawn, and the ovipositor thrust in deeply into 

 the body of the nymph, and the egg laid. The entire operation 

 extends from one to often two or three minutes. 



In Gonatopus contortidus Patton the egg may be laid on the 

 outside of the cuticle, although it is more often thrust beneath 

 it. In a Gonatopus species parasitic on Deltocephalus immicus 

 nymphs, the egg is thrust down between the segments, the tip 

 just protruding outside. 



Perkins (1905) remarks that "occasionally after capture, the 

 prey is released without being stung, and that it is probable 

 that hoppers so released have already been stung by an earlier 

 captor." The writer is inclined to doubt this as the real 

 explanation, since more than one larval sac is often found on 

 one host. Once a nymph was found bearing a nearly mature 

 larval sac and an egg just protruding externally between the 

 segments. As there was only enough food present in this nymph 

 for the maturing of but one parasite, the fate of the youngest 

 dryinid is obvious. It is evident that it is just a matter of 

 chance whether the captured nymph has been previously 

 parasitized or not, and that when the female does not oviposit 

 the cause must be something other than that of previous 

 oviposition. 



