Pezomachus is a remarkable group of ilie Crypti, being either 

 apterous or having only rudimentary wings. From Graven- 

 horst's description and figure of one of these, it appears that 

 they vary in their neuration, and the genus therefore requires 

 further investigation in order to form at least natural sections, 

 and from the very great dissimilarity in the structure of the 

 thorax and the form of the penultimate joint of the tarsi, two 

 genera probably might be established, in which case Thun- 

 berg's name of Gelis would very well apply to one of them. 



The Pezomachi are equally curious in their oeconomy, for 

 although like the rest of the IchneumonidiE they are parasitic, 

 they do not seem to be attached to any particular group, if 

 the statements made be correct. I have heard of their being 

 produced from Spiders' eggs and from the larvfe of Ctircidio 

 plajitaginis, and Linnaeus says one species in its perfect state 

 lives upon Acari. The two that I have bred, P.festinans Fab. 

 and P. vagans Oliv., hatched from the cocoons of two species 

 of Microgaster, and with the latter appeared another parasite, 

 a species of Hemiteles, and Mr. Haliday in the Ent. Mag. 

 mentions two, so that 3 or 4 different Ichneumonidae were pro- 

 duced from the .same cocoons. The most remarkable fact 

 however relating to these little animals is the great apparent 

 excess of females ; I have in my own cabinet upwards of 20 

 species, and only know the male of one [P.fesiinans), and Mr. 

 Haliday sayshe has seen hundreds of the female oi P .fasciatiis^ 

 yet he never met with a male. 



For a list of the species I must refer to the Guide. They 

 are found in spring, summer and autumn where reeds abound, 

 in sandy districts, in theflowersofSyngenesious plants, amongst 

 grass &c., and in winter in moss and under stones. The species 

 figured I swept into my net last August, off some bushes of 

 Sweet Gale in the Isle of Arran, as we were ascending Goat- 

 feld, and I had met with it twice before in Norfolk : the male 

 has not been discovered. 



The Plant is Urtica pilulifera (Roman Nettle), from Lowes- 

 toft Denes, Suffolk. 



