118 [May. 



contributed " A monograph of the genus Aerida, with notes of some allied genera, and 

 descriptions of new species." Dr. D. Sharp, F.R.S., communicated three papers by 

 Mr. R. C. L. Perkins, respectively entitled : (a) " Notes on Hawaian Wasps, with 

 descriptions of new species " ; (ft) " Four new species and a new genus of parasitic 

 ITi/menoptera {IchnewmonidcE) from the Hawaian Islands " ; and (c) " On the generic 

 characters of Hawaian CrabronidcB ; four new genera characterized." — H. Rowland- 

 Brown, Hod. Secretary. 



ON THE ICHNEUMONIDES OF THE OLDER BRITISH AUTHORS. 

 BY CLAUDE MORLEY, P.E.S., &C. 



Having recently had .an opportunity of examining the types of 

 onr older authors contained in the British Collection in the British 

 Museum, and thinking followers of strict priority may he interested 

 in the synonymy of these " names," which personally, being a scientist 

 before a patriot, T should prefer to obliterate, T herein set forth, to 

 the best of my ability, the notes taken from these old specimens, and 

 wish to thank Mr. W. F. Kirby, F.L.S., for his assistance and courtesy. 

 Those species whose synonymy I consider established are printed in 

 capitals. 



The earliest author of note is Forster, who described (Nova? 

 Species Tnsectorum, 1771) Ichneumon prtmatorius = I. yrossorius, 

 Fab., 1792, and Ichneumon (Amblyteles) armatortus = I. fascia- 

 tortus, Fab., 1775 ; 1 refer to these only because Thomson (Opusc. 

 Ent.) has seen fit to retain their Fabrician titles. 



Kirby's description of Ichneumon femorator (Mon. Apum Anglise, 

 1802, ii, 253) is inadequate, and the type is not in his collection in 

 the British Museum ; it is certainly referable to neither of Stephens' 

 species of that name. 



Curtis brought forward only two species of Ichneumonides in 

 his Brit. Ent., 1828. The first, Ichneumon Atropos is referable to 

 TitoGUS exaltatortus, Panz., and not, as has hitherto been generally 

 supposed, to T. lutorius, Fab. ; what appears to be the type is, cu- 

 riously enough, in the British Collection. The other species is 

 Aloniyia victor, which is nothing but A. iiebellator, Fab., $ , with 

 the petiole red. 



In Marshall's 1872 Catalogue the majority of Stephens' and 

 Desvignes' species are placed alphabetically as doubtfully appertaining 

 to the genus Ichneumon, and they have since proved little more than 

 a nuisance to the student, for few of the descriptions are adequate 

 for determination, and it were perhaps better to consign them to the 



