78 HYMENOPTERA. 



femorata, I have every reason to believe, to be the parasite 

 of a species of Aphodiu.s ; I have several times found it 

 beneath the droppings of cows and horses. Amongst the I 

 British fbssorial species, I know of two only that I have i 

 reason to rank amongst the parasites; but several species 

 prey upon Apidce^ which they store up as food for their 

 young. The Philanthus triangulum stores up the Apis \ 

 rnellificaf Halictus zonatus and Andrena fulvicrus; Cer- 

 ceris ornata preys upon Halictus I'uhicundas and H. cylin- ; 

 dricus. 



Amongst the MutillidcB, or solitary ants, we also meet with ^ 

 parasitic genera ; of the typical genus 3Iutilla, we have only \ 

 two well authenticated, British species. The Mutilla Euro- \ 

 pcea is parasitic upon humble bees ; M. Drewsen of Copen- \ 

 hagen has obtained as many as seventy-six individuals from 

 a single nest. It must not, however, be supposed that Mutilla 

 is exclusively parasitic upon Bomhua ; such cannot be the 

 case, as many species of the genus are found in countries | 

 where the Bom^>i are not found, Australia being an example ; 

 of this. I have little doubt of the rare Metlwca ich- \ 

 ncumonoides also being a parasite ; it is the only representa- 

 tive, hitherto found in this country, of the family Thynnklde; 

 the species of the latter have been observed to be parasitic on | 

 Lepidoptera, by Mr. R. Bakewell, at Lower Plenty, South \ 

 Australia. j 



There remains to be noticed certain parasites belonging, in i 

 the opinion of some naturalists, to a distinct order of insects, v 

 but which latterly have been included amongst the parasitic ) 

 Coleoptera, Sitarisj Rhipiphorus, &c., and such is probably i 

 their natural position ; the parasites belong to the genus 

 Siylops and its affinities. The number of species hitherto | 

 discovered is small ; all are internal parasites, and, as far as ■ 

 discoveries have been made in this country, appears to confine i 



