298 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. [Exetastes. 



This species, as already shown, varies very considerably in the colour 

 of the legs and also slightly in the $ capital decoration ; in my (5 J of 

 the var. illusor the anterior coxae and trochanters are broadly flavous- 

 marked and the scutellum apically dotted with the same colour ; Graven- 

 horst mentions a 9 \vith the hind tarsi infuscate throughout ; and I have 

 a 9 intermediate in colouration between the typical and varietal forms, 

 having the legs black with the anterior tibiae and the basal half of the 

 hind femora red. 



A remarkable abnormal ^ of this species, taken by Dr. Capron in 

 Surrey, is now in my collection, in which the nervellus does not touch the 

 first recurrent nervure at all, but is emitted by the median a quarter of a 

 millimetre beyond its emission of the first recurrent ; in all other respects 

 the specimen is normal, with red legs and immaculate scutellum. 



This species is not uncommon on the Continent in June in woody and 

 grassy places ; Ratzeburg has bred it in (Germany from Euprcpia 

 lubridpcda and Nociua Abrofani \\\ July; Dr. Giraud has raised the var. 

 ilbisor in France from Picris brassicac and, in Prussia, Brischke also bred it 

 from Hadena coniigua. It is by no means an uncommon species in 

 Britain, though the type form appears to be much the rarer but has been 

 bred by Osborne from Hadena oleracca (Entom. 1884, p. 68) and by Big- 

 nell, who also captured it at Pennycomcquick in Devonshire, from 

 Mamestra brassicae on 9th July. I possess but two females of the type 

 form both taken in August, one at Mortchoe, in North Devon, 1903, by 

 Mr. Selwyn Image and the other on the flowers of Angelica svlvestn's in 

 Matley Bog, in the New Forest, by myself in 1901. My specimen of the 

 intermediate form was taken at Redland, near Bristol, by Mr. Charbon- 

 nier. The var. illusor is much more generally met with and has been 

 recorded from Harford Bridges, in Norfolk, in July (Bridgman) ; Bick- 

 leigh, in June and bred by Barker from Saturnia pavonia minor (Bignell) ; 

 bred by Weston from Marnestra persicariae (Entom. 1881, p. 141); and 

 probably from Arctia caja at Maldon, in Essex, by Fitch ij.c. 1883, p. 67). 

 I have seen it from Worksop (Houghton) ; Shere, several (Capron) ; Ashby, 

 near Doncaster, in early July (Cassal) ; Sutton, near Retford, Notts 

 (Thornle) ) ; and have swept it myself on the banks of the Orwell, near 

 Ipswich, in the middle of July, 1896. Among 172 Exetastes cocoons, 

 which had probably all emerged from iShwiesIra brassicae, sent by Mr. 

 Wigin from Methley, near Leeds, on i8th November, 1899, only one pro- 

 duced a female of this species on 26th of the following June [cf, E. 

 chictipes ante) ; another cocoon was sent by Mr. Clutten ex Hadena pisi, 

 from Burnley, Lanes., in Dec. 1901, which also produced a female on 15th 

 of the follow'ing June, and the insect lived in confinement till the 21st. 

 The cocoon is exactly like that of ^. cinclipes, is made of the same number 

 of layers, containing the shrivelled larval skin thrust into the anal extre- 



