297 



concentrate more of her efforts toward the thorax and head, 

 two or three times she worked about the head as if attempt- 

 ing to sting there, while the Prosoplus attempted to grasp th(^ 

 end of her ahch^men. At length the struggles of the Prosoplus 

 grew weaker and weaker and she was able to pursue her work 

 more easily and could occasionally clean away the wood dust 

 which had accumulated on her body. She proceeded to the 

 anal extremity of the l)0(ly and carefully and deliberately 

 stung in the sutures there two or three times near the lateral 

 margin and then Worked her way along the body, indicting 

 a sting apparently wherever she could get a response to her 

 gnawing the surface, working along thus to the head. By 

 this time the larva was practically immobile and from time 

 to time she would rest and bite at the cuticle in feeding. 



I did not time this struggle but it must have continued 

 twenty minutes or more and at its conclusion tlie J^rosupJiis 

 larva was completely immovable and did not struggle at all 

 when she fed in the usual manner of her kind. 



Conflict of ■Sclerodermus cJtiJoiielldc iritli Ifs I'li'ij. Iliis 

 species is much larger and stronger than S. innnif/rcois- and at- 

 tacks the vigorous woodboring larva of Hyposmocoma cliiloii- 

 ella. Three females were bred from cocoons brought in fi'oiii 

 rotten wood of Piplurus in which were many larvae of this 

 moth. A larva was ])hu'cd with these three females and a 

 male on July 7, and on July 10, the larva was seen to lie 

 ))aralyzed and was completely sucked dry. Another larva 

 ])lared with them on the same day was ])ai'aly/cd on Julv 

 12. and completely sucked dry by July 14. 



One female and the male were se])arat(Ml and placed with 

 a large Hyposinoconia cJiiloiiclhi lar\'a, by which the male 

 was soon killed. . The other two were ])laced wiili anoilier 

 Hyposmocoma larva about 20 mm. long and t]\oy proceeded 

 to attack it jointly, their bodies straight and backing up to 

 sting. They were exceedingly active on tlicir feet, dodging 

 the attacks of the Hyposmocoma. the hitter being very aggres- 

 sive in its efforts to bite the end of the abdomen of the 



