MELITtA. (^*. c.) 

 the under, yet, in certain light?, they appear wholly 

 either of one colour or the other. 



Had I known no other varieties than a and :- of 

 M. Roscr, I sliould, most probably, have regarded 

 them as very distinct species ; but by means of the 

 intermediate ones, which exhibit the gradual change 

 of the abdominal colours, their Identity seems pretty 

 clearly established ; although I am still not without 

 a suspicion, from the absence of the very minute 

 tooth at the base of the maxillse, which distinguishes 

 a, /?, and 7, whether ^ and s may not be more than 

 varieties ; unless we may suppose this to be a sexual 

 distinction, and look upon «, /?, and y as females, 

 and § and s as neuters. 



The abdomen of a. is distinguished by a red belt, 

 which occupies the margin of the first, and the 

 whole of the second and third segments : in /?, the 

 third segment is red only on the sides ; in 7, the 

 second also has a black spot in the middle ; in 5, 

 this S])ot becomes a fascia, extending nearly from 

 side to side ; and in :-, only the margin of the seg- 

 ments is red, and that sometimes very faintly. 

 Throng] 1 all these varieties the colour of the scopa 

 remains the same. 



Panzer's y/pi^ Rosce is evidently one of the va- 

 rieties of our insect, but his description and figure 



are at variance. The former says, " abdomine 



scgmejitis secimdo, tertio, qnandoque etiam primo 

 j)o.stiu'j rujis ;" whereas, in the latter, the margin 



only 



