20 G (Kebnuiry, 



recorded descriptions of Z.fasciata, Mas., arriving at tte somewhat 

 negative result that most of them are incompatible with one another, 

 and that he remained in doubt whether any of the insects described 

 ^s (? fasciata belonged to that species at all, or whether, in fact, any 

 (J fasciata had ever been met with. When I mention that among the 

 authors whose descriptions are discussed are included the names of 

 Linnaeus, Jurine, Le Peletier, Fallen, Klug, Dahlbom, Zaddach, and 

 Thomson, and that the result was what I have stated, it is obvious 

 that the authentic discovery of a (^ Z. fasciata must have a considerable 

 interest for entomologists. Such a discovery followed speedily on the 

 publication of Dr. K.'s paper, and was announced in the No. of the 

 Ent. Nachr. for July 15th, 1878. Herr Gutsbesitzer Kuwert, of 

 Wernsdorf, near Tharau, in Old Prussia, in whose neighbourhood the 

 species is only too abundant, and who " believed to remember having 

 once taken it in copula^'' after considerable difficulty at last succeeded 

 in capturing a (J in June (or July) on a larch tree. From this 

 specimen he furnishes the following description : 



" Zaraea fasciata^'' L. Mas. 



"The whole abdomen, inclusive of the first segment, is black. It 

 is narrower than in the female. The last and penultimate segments have 

 on the dorsum a median [longitudinal] groove, and are more strongly 

 covered with black hairs at the sides. The metallic-brownish coloration 

 of the abdomen in the fresh female has given place to a deep black. 

 The eyes .... meeting above, cover the whole vertex and 

 hinderhead. Size in both sexes the same ; likewise the band upon 

 the wings." 



"With this description my specimen tallies accurately. I would 

 add, however, that (in mine) there is likewise this difference from the 

 $ , that all the tibiae and tarsi are light brown ; and that the lateral 

 tufts of black hair, especially prominent on the penultimate segment, 

 give an almost trifid appearance to the apex of the abdomen which is 

 very striking to a superficial view. The dead black of the body 

 excludes from the comparison most of the supposed males of Z. fasciata 

 described, after Jurine, as " bronzee," " nigro-seneus," or as having 

 coppery or metallic reflexions. Zaddach's description of his $, as 

 having the legs, from the knees down, yellow, recalls a similar feature 

 in my insect, but differs in several other particulars, especially in the 

 quadrate velvety spot on the abdomen. 



Kuwert concludes his paper with the expression of his opinion 

 that only Linna?us, of all those authors mentioned, had described the 



