affecting the Clover-crops and Pasture-lands. 51 



It is recorded by Mr. Readins^ that they will also feed on oak, 

 beech, ash, poplar, willow, whitethorn, and blackthorn. 

 A closely-allied moth, named by Borkhausen 



7. BOMBYX {Lasiocampa) Medicagixis (the Medick Eggar Moth), 



is in all probability a variety of the foregoing species, the differ- 

 ence of the food affecting the tint and markings of the wings. 

 The male is dull chesnut-colour ; abdomen brighter; antennae 

 dull ochreous ; eyes ash-coloured ; superior wings sparingly 

 speckled with ochreous hairs ; an abbreviated and sinuated fascia 

 near the base, and another beyond the middle, slightly toothed on 

 the inside, dull ochreous ; a cream-coloured spot near the disk 

 approaching the costal margin ; inferior wings rather paler, 

 darkest towards the body, with a curved, pale, rather obscure line 

 across the middle. 



The characters that distinguish L. medicarjinis from L. tri- 



folii are the abbreviated fascia next the base of the superior, and 



the obscure one across the inf^nuor, wings ; the breadth of that 



which is parallel to the posterior margin of the upper wings is 



also greater.* 



The caterpillars of this variety were found in the New Forest 

 in June ; they continued to feed on heath, grass, and medick 

 until the beginning of July, when they were full grown and 

 changed to pupa?, from whence they emerged the beginning of 

 the following August. 



The eggar moths, like most other Lepidoptera, are attended by 

 parasites, one being a minute fly belonging to the ORDER Hymen- 

 OPTERA and the GENUS TelexomUS ; but 1 am unable to give the 

 specific name. It is known to puncture the eggs of the oak 

 eggar moth (L. querciis), in each of which the female lays an 

 egg; when this hatches the little maggot there finds sufficient 

 nourishment to bring it to maturity. 



A large and handsome species of the FAMILY ICHiSrEUMONID^ 

 and the GENUS Peltastes — 



8. P. Dentatus (Fab.) — is specially attached to L. trifolii.\ 



It is black, deeply and thickly punctured ; the horns are long, 

 stout, straight, tapering to both extremities, and are ochreous 

 beneath ; nose yellow ; thorax with 8 yellow spots before the 

 insertion of the wings, and 2 at the base of the scutellum, 

 which is margined with yellow behind ; abdomen elongated, 

 somewhat depressed, and scarcely narrowed at the base, with 4 



* Vide Cart. British Entomology, fol. and plate 181,where figures of this moth 

 and caterpillar are given. 



t See Curt. Brit. Ent., fol. and pi. 4, for figures and description. 



E 2 



