NOTES, ETC. 87 



green. Abdomen strongly punctured, the basal segment 

 usually much more strongly so than the two following ; an 

 elevated smooth line running down the centre, sometimes be- 

 coming obsolete on the third segment, always more or less 

 so. Wings faintly coloured, with the apical margins hyaline. 

 The apex of the abdomen terminated by four teeth on the 

 apical margin, the two central ones ividest apart. (Halcione.) 

 Var. 1. The two central teeth nearest together. (Asterope.) 

 Yar. 2. The two central teeth tiearest together, with the 

 lateral teeth directed outwards, the central 

 curve deepest. (Celoeno). 

 Var. 3. The terminal teeth at equal distances. (Electra.) 

 Var. 4. The terminal teeth at equal distances, the lateral 



teeth bent inwardly. (Ma'ia.) 

 Var. 5. The two central teeth nearest together, as in Var. 1 . 

 (Asterope), hut all much shorter and their 

 apices only describing a slight cur've. (Tay- 

 geta.) 

 Var. 6. The two central teeth obsolete, the lateral angles 



acute, not produced into spines. (Merope.) 

 This is the most variable species of the genus ; probably 

 other and also intermediate varieties occur ; sufficient are 

 however given to show the protean character of the species; 

 the puncturing of the abdomen varies greatly in depth and 

 also in density : it is shown that the parasitism of the species 

 is not even confined to a single genus, but that it attacks 

 both solitary and social species; consequently the food upon 

 which its larva feeds must vary considerably in quantity. 

 The larva of Vespa vulgaris is much larger than that of an 

 Odynerus, and may it not be to such circumstances that we 

 must attribute the great variation in the size of both sexes of 

 Chrysis ignita ? 



