104 HYMENOPTERA. 



In the first sub-family of the Saw-flies, the Cimbicince, the 

 antennae are short, and knobbed at the end like those of a 

 butterfly. Trichiosoma Lucorum. Linn., is a very common insect on 

 hedges ; it is black, and rather hairy, and measures rather more 

 than an inch across the wings. The larva is solitary, provided 

 with twenty-two legs, and forms a hard cocoon attached to the 

 branches of the hawthorn, in which it passes the winter. The 

 Australian genus Pcrga includes many handsome species, generally 

 of a bronzy green or tawny colour, with a conspicuous yellow 

 scutellum. So far as is known, their larvae, which have only six 

 legs, live gregariously on different species of Eucalyptus, and form 

 their cocoons in the ground. The female of Ferga Lewisii, Westw., 

 a native of Tasmania and South Australia, watches over her 

 young for several weeks after they are hatched ; but this habit 

 has not been stated to occur in any other species. 



In the sub-family Hylotomince, the antennae are only three- 

 jointed, the joints beyond the second being fused into one, and 

 generally very pilose. In several genera of this group the third 

 joint is bifurcated in the males, the two branches being of equal 

 length, and giving the insect a rather singular appearance. In 

 several other genera belonging to different sub-families (Ptery- 

 gophorus, Lophyrus, Cladius, etc.), the antennae are either pecti- 

 nated or branched in the males, and simple in the females, one 

 of the most remarkable instances being a Papuan species, Clado- 

 macra Macropus, Smith, which measures rather more than half an 

 inch across the wings. The insect is reddish, with the antennae, 

 hind legs, and the tip of the abdomen black ; the antennae are 

 very long and slender, with a long branch projecting from the 

 base of each joint. 



The best known of all the Saw-flies is Nematus Fdbesii, Scop., a 

 small yellow insect, with black spots on the thorax, the larvae of 

 which often strip our gooseberry and currant bushes of their leaves. 



Tenthrcdo Atra, Linn., is a black species, with red legs, and the 

 middle of the abdomen red in the female. I mention it to record 

 the fact that a specimen lately received from Munich was found to 

 be greatly infested by a red mite, specimens of which were like- 

 wise found attached to several other Hymenoptera from the same 

 locality. The genus AUantus, Jur., includes a number of black 

 and yellow species, some of which are predatory in their habits, 

 and feed on other insects. 



In the typical groups of Tenthredinidce, the majority of the 



