264 



females are wingless and in many eases have the mouth parts 

 besides the mandibles largely atrophied. 



The family is one of those whose distribution is of great 

 interest and is a southern group. If we exclude Metlioca, whose 

 association with the family must be considered doubtful, the 

 Thynnidae are represented in the northern hemisphere by 

 two or three species from California and a single species is 

 found in the Galapagos Islands. There have been no species 

 as yet described from Africa tho in Capetown Dr. Perin- 

 guey showed me an authentic male Thynnid from South 

 Africa. In South America, Chile, Argentine, and Southern 

 Brazil, the family is abundantly represented. About 400 spe- 

 cies are known from Australia, Papua and the adjacent island 

 groups, being much more numerously represented in Southern 

 Australia among the characteristic Australian fauna and flora 

 than in the north, where the Malayan element is more abund- 

 ant. 



In Australia it is the dominant familv amono- the Forsoi-ial 

 Hymenoptera, appearing more numerous in species and indi- 

 viduals than any other group. 



Most of the species frequent flowers, particularly the ]\Iyr- 

 taceous Angopliora and Leptospermum. 



]\rr. Henry Hacker, the indefatigable entomologist of the 

 Queensland Museum, guided the writer to his favorite collect- 

 ing grounds around Brisbane and on Stradbroke Island in 

 Moreton Bay, and kindly told him many interesting observa- 

 tions which he had made and enabled him to see for himself 

 their behavior in the field. 



The Thynnidae, according to Mr. Hacker's observations, 

 are certainly subterranean in their breeding habits, for the 

 females frequently come up out of the ground covered with 

 mud. Like most Hpnenoptera the males emerge first, in most 

 species ap]iearing in September and October, feeding at flow- 

 ers and racing up and down footpaths in the forests and among 

 bushes searching for the females. These when they emerge 

 crawl uj) to the top of the grass, weeds or bushes and await 

 the males there. When a male discovers a female he swoops 



