Pimpla.] BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 93 



following smoother with no impressions ; terebra hardly half length of the 

 abdomen, with valvulae shortly pilose. Legs somewhat stout, red or 

 fulvous ; coxae and trochanters black, with the latter sometimes apically 

 red ; hind tarsi, except rarely basally, black ; claws stout, cur\'ed, 

 ferrugineous, distinctly longer than the pulvilli, neither pectinate nor in 9 

 basallv lobate. Wings normal, sometimes more or less slightly clouded ; 

 stigma and radix black or piceous, with the former always distinctly paler 

 basally ; tegulae black, usually white-marked and in J often entirely pale 

 stramineous ; areolet subsessile, subtransverse ; internal cubital sinuate, 

 with no nervelet ; ner\'ellus strongly postfurcal and intercepting far above 

 the centre. Length, lo — 20 mm. 



This is an unusually constant species and 1 can find no variation, 

 except that of size, in any of my ninety specimens. The var. iiittrrtiedia 

 is very distinct in its constantly smaller size (circa 9 mm.), the frons less 

 exca\'ate with vertex more closely punctate, metanotum basall}^ sub- 

 canaliculate, apices of abdominal segments always more or less rufescent, 

 stigma fulvous and hardly paler basally, and the eyes internally more 

 deeply emarginate. It is very probably a good species ; and it has not 

 before been noticed in Britain. 



A very lucid account of the structure of this species, as illustrating that 

 of Ichneumonidae in general, is given by Westwood (Introd. ii. 137-140) ; 

 it is also well figured by Van VoUenhoven (Pinac. pi. ix, f. i), and poorly 

 by both Newman (Hist. Ins. p. 6) and Wood (Ins. at Home, 323). 

 Ratzeburg (iii. 99) says that this was by far the commonest parasite upon 

 Bonihvx procissionea, during the great plague of that species in the Dessau 

 district in 1849-50 ; in those places which had been entirely defoliated it 

 swarmed in countless numbers ; in damp weather only round the oak 

 stems, in sunshine evervwhere. These swarms consisted entirely of males, 

 since the females migrated to where the host-larvae was still devastating. 

 He records how one unprotected caterpillar, separated from its fellows 

 who were under their web, was suddenly stung in its back by this 

 ichneumon ; the larva threw itself over, remained on its back for about a 

 minute immovably, then slowly regained its feet and joined its fellows as 

 though nothing had happened. Finally, he notes the emergence of a 

 small male of three lines from Ne?uafiis salia's. Bouche tells us (Naturg. 

 146) that the digestive tube of its larva shows grey through its skin, 

 together with several whitish granules ; he makes no mention of 

 pseudopods. 



This species which is among the largest of the genus in Europe, is 

 very common both here and abroad. It is one of the oldest known 

 insects, since it is recorded under the name J/usca bipilis sccunda by 

 Moufet from the neighbourhood of Oxford as long ago as 1634 (Ins. 

 Theatr. p. 63) ; and is most probably confined in its parasitism to the 

 Lepidoptera, as the onlv two records from Tinthnditiidai require confirma- 

 tion, (iravenhorst, including what little was known earlier, rect)rds it 

 from j)Uj)ae of Bombyx aurijhia, B. chrvsorrhoea, B. motiaiha, B. trmima 

 and B. lihatrix ; he says it occurs in grassy places and upon umbells 

 throughout the summer, and has been found at Netley in Shropshire. 

 Ratzeburg adds to its hosts Bombyx dispar, B. pint, Xoc/ua pinipcrda, 

 Papilio brassicot, Bombyx salicis, B. catniltoitpholo, B. pudibunda and B. 

 lit list ria. Taschenberg bred it from Org via goniostigiiia ; Brischke from 

 Apvria cra/tugi, Psyche 7'iciellix which seems a wondrous small host, and, 

 he says, Xcmatus perspkillaris, in Prussia; Giraud (Knt. Soc. Fr. 1877, 



