258 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 3 



its ovipositor into the eggs, and afterwards noticed it mouthing the 

 aperture and apparently absorbing the contents of the eggs. This 

 observation was reported to the Bureau of Entomology, and Mr. A. 

 F. Burgess of the Bureau visited Mr. Prescott's place and verified 

 the observations. In several instances he noticed that the parasites 

 licked the wounds made by the ovipositor after it was withdrawn 

 from the egg, but in other instances direct feeding upon the eggs ap- 

 peared to be evident by their gradual collapse. The parasite in ques- 

 tion was described by Mr. J. C. Crawford in the Proceedings of the 

 Entomological Society of Washington, Volume XI, No. 3, October, 

 1909, as Tetrasticliiis asparagi, from specimens received from Doctor 

 Fernald. 



In the Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des Seances de 1 'Academic 

 des Sciences de Paris, vol. CXLVIII, no 18, p. 1223-25, May 3, 1909, 

 Dr. Paul Marchal gives some interesting observ'ations on the ovi- 

 position of Aphelinus, under the following title: "La ponte des 

 Aphelinus et I'interet individuel dans les actes lies a la conservation 

 de Tespece." His observations were made upon Aphelinus mytilaspidis 

 in relation to Aspidiotus ostreceformis. The observations in brief are 

 as follows: 



"Before egg-laying the Hymenopterous insect places itself about 

 the center of the scale which covers and completely hides each of the 

 Coccidre. Then it advances slowly towards the periphery of the scale 

 with a light, balancing, sidewise movement of the body and palpitat- 

 ing with its antenna.\ Arriving at the edge it turns brusquely 

 towards the center, and on different occasions it begins again in other 

 radial directions the same manoeuvres without leaving the Coccid. 

 The object of these singular preliminaries seems to be to explore the 

 Aspidiotus in order to find out whether the conditions requisite for 

 the laying exist, and perhaps also to choose in this Aspidiotus an ap- 

 propriate spot for the egg which it is to insert. In July it happened 

 that many of the scales covered only dry Aspidiotus M^iich had been 

 killed by the parasites of the preceding generation, and the Aphelinus 

 were obliged to visit many before finding one which was in good con- 

 dition for laj'ing. In general they did not remain long upon the dried 

 Aspidiotus, and after having explored them by some movements from 

 the center to the periphery they abandoned them. 



"When on the contrary the Aphelinus found living Aspidiotus, it 

 explored for a rather long time, according to the method just indi- 

 cated, and then inserted its ovipositor so as to completely pierce the 

 scale. The ovipositor, at first only partly inserted, finally penetrated 

 completely, so that the belly of the parasite came in contact with the 



