322 THE entomologist's record. 



its jaws and legs to make an opening in the thoracic front (usually) 

 of the wasp larva, and to come outside, where it may be found lying 

 like a collar round the neck of its host. In the process of emergence 

 it casts its skin for the first time, and the cast skin, with the hard 

 black parts of the Mdor-hke larva, may be found plugging the 

 aperture of exit, which it does so effectually that nothing but the 

 young M. paradoxus larva escapes thereby. For a time the M. para- 

 doxus merely sucks the juices of its host through an mdiscernible 

 opening, afterwards, however, completely devouring the whole larva. 

 During this period it moults once more, thus moulting twice altogether. 

 It now completes its transformation rapidly, and is ready to emerge 

 Avithin a day or two of the wasps in the same row of cells. It is thus 

 confined for pabulum to the one wasp-grub that it first penetrates. 



A cell W\i\i Mrtoccm (Ilhijiiphonts) is usually easy to recognise; the 

 dome of silk is that spun by the wasp grub, the Mctaecus adding 

 nothing, and, so far, it is identical with its neighbours ; but when there 

 is a full-grown Mrtoirus larva, or freshly-changed pupa, the cell has 

 an ivory whiteness, contrasting with its neighbours ; when the beetle 

 (and wasps around) are nearly mature, it looks reddish, whilst those 

 of the wasps are comparatively green. To find the young beetle larva 

 still within its host, requires a careful search of wasp larvse newly 

 spun, and younger ones, down to half- grown : but the search is 

 always successful in a nest fairly colonised by the beetle. 



That some nests have no M. paradoxus, and others even many, 

 is probably to be explained by the wasps of an afi'ected nest frequent- 

 ing a post for wood pulp that had been used by the beetle for oviposi- 

 tion ; whilst the wasps of an unaffected nest do not happen to have 

 come across such a post. 



On the occurrence of Tephrosia crepuscularia (biundularia) in 



Ireland. 



April and May being my busiest months, I have never really worked 

 for these insects, except in 1895, when at Enniskillen. In that year I 

 took 18, some whitish, and some brownish, and some slightly ochreous. 

 Of these I have thirteen with me, which I have not labelled yet, one way 

 or the other, and these thirteen are the only material I have here for 

 reference. All the above 1 took at rest on trunks of fir, during 

 May, as under :— May 1st, 2 ; May 3rd, 2 ; May 4th, 4 ; May Gth, 2 ; 

 May 9th, 7 ; May 13th, 1 ; total, 18. I did not search for the insect 

 after May 13th.— (Capt.) E. W. Brown, F.E.S;, Dublin. 



I have taken Tephrosia vrepuscidaria (biundularia) at Monaghan, 

 and once at the Wooden Bridge, in Wicklow, when working sallows.* 

 I do not appreciate the distinctions between the two insects ; so far as I 

 have observed, neither of the imagines occurs about here. — (Prof.) 

 Hart, L.L.D., F.E.S. , Woodside, Howth. 



In 1895, I took T. cri'pnscidaria {biundularia). firston May 5th. but 

 heard of it being taken some days earlier ; in 189G, I took it on ]\lay 

 3rd, and it was getting over on May 13th, the first week in May seems 

 to be the time for it. It is found on the trunks of tall fir and larch 

 trees, in a small plantation in a private demesne near here ; a walk 



* The exact date of capture of this specimen would be interesting. Has Mr, 

 Kane critically examined it ? — Ep. 



