130 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



ichneumon fly shown in fig. 51. The fly lays its eggs on or in 



the grubs of the weevil as they lie feeding 



inside the grain. The ichneumon grub, on 



hatching out, feeds upon the weevil grub, 



but in such a manner as not to kill it until 



both have reached their full size. The weevil 



grub then dies, the fly grub changes to a 



pupa, from which issues the small copper- Fig. si.—Petromalus oryzm 



coloured ichneumon fly. This latter pairs, 



and the female then flies about over grain 



heaps searching for a grain containing a 



weevil grub in which, when found, she lays an egg. 



parasitic upon the 

 wheat and rice 

 weevil (Calcutta) 

 X 6. 



Fam. VIII. — Braconidae— Bracon-flies. 



These Insects are very similar to the ichneumons. The antennae 



■consist of many, nearly always more 



than 15, joints, and the wings have 



a moderate number of cells in them. 



They can be distinguished from the 



ichneumons by the fact that the 



hind body has a much less degree 



of mobility of its segments, and the 



upper wings differ, the series of cells 



running across the wing being only 



three in the ichneumonides whereas they are Fig. 52.— Diagram of wing of 



four in the bra- 

 conides, and a 

 centre cell be- 

 hind 2 and 3 is 

 divided trans- 

 versely into two 

 in the former, 

 but is undivided 



Fig. 53, — A Braconid fly. 



in the latter 

 ( fig. 52 ). If 

 these d i s t i n- 



Ichneumon (A) 

 and of Braconid 

 (B). 1, 2, 3, 4 

 series of cells ex- 

 tending across 

 the wing; a, 6, 

 divided cell of 

 the Ichneumon 

 wing correspond- 

 ing with, a, tbe 

 undivided cell of 

 the Braconid 

 wing. (After 

 Sharp.) 



guishing characters are remembered, the two families can always b. 



