114 BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 



flagellum sometimes ferrugineous, and scape flavous beneath ; basal joints 

 externally carinale. Thorax black ; pronotum anteriorly, humeral marks, 

 and sometimes also two lateral ones on metathorax flavous ; metanotum 

 rugose, obtusely bidentate, with five upper areae, of which the areola 

 is sub-quadrate and emarginate at apex. Scutellum flavous, slightly convex, 

 obsoletely punctate and pilose. Abdomen lanceolate, black, all the seg- 

 ments flavous-margined, the fifth sometimes entirely black ; post-petiole 

 finely aciculate throughout ; second segment with gastrocaeli large and 

 deep and the intervening space as broad as the centre of post>petiole. 

 Legs flavous, coxae and trochanters in part, anterior femora slightly above, 

 apices of hind femora and tibiae, black ; tarsi flavous. Wings slightly 

 flavescent ; stigma and tegulae pale croceous. Length, 12-18 mm. 



Ich. qiiadrifasciatus, Grav., is a c? variety of this species with the apical 

 margins of the first four segments flavous, the remainder being entirely 

 black. Ich. flavofiiger, Grav., is another S variety with the post-petiole, 

 second and third segments entirely flavous ; the gastrocaeli and flagellum 

 piceous ; this is by far the commonest form in Britain and Belgium. 



Forster first described the $ from England in 177 1. I expect it is not 

 uncommon except in the north ; Stephens only knew of one example of 

 the typical male, though he says the wa.x.flavomger is common in some 

 parts of the country, and var. qiiadrifasciatus is very rare. 



It is often found flying in the sunshine in the hottest weather ; certainly 

 rare in the eastern counties and probably commonest in the south. The 

 female hibernates in tufts of grass, where I have found it on 30th Novem- 

 ber, at Bentley Woods, Suffolk ; the male has occurred to me at Ipswich 

 towards the end of July. 



About London and in Salop ; near Carlisle ; Netley ; Devonshire in 

 June (Stephens) ; Lastingham (Marshall) ; Hollington (Hastings List) ; 

 taken at Shaugh Bridge, May 26th, by Bignell ; at Colwyn, in August, 

 by Beaumont ; at Tostock, by Tuck ; not uncommonly in the New 

 Forest, by Miss Chawner and Mr. Donisthorpe ; a female on the sand- 

 hills at Hunstanton, early in April, by Pegler ; males at Shotover and 

 Oxford, by Hamm ; near Carlisle, in early August, by Routledge ; both 

 sexes in Cornwall, by Davies ; Essex ; at Doddington, in Kent, by 

 Chitty ; and at Lynmouth, in July, by Charbonnier. Parfitt says it is 

 generally and sparsely distributed in Devon, occurring in July. It is 

 frequent in central and southern Europe, extending to Algeria, but is 

 not found in Sweden and the more northern regions ; M. Pic has found 

 it not very common in eastern France. It has been bred on the Con- 

 tinent from Polyphoenis sericafa, Esp. { — P. frospicua, Bkh.) ; in Devon 

 from Dianthaecia irregularis, on July 12th; and the \ax. Jlavofiiger, by 

 Mr. Tugvvell from Acronycta myricae, Gn. 



4. sarcitorius, Li?in. 



Ichneumo7i sarcitorkis, Linn. F. S. 397 ; Gr. I. E. i. 302 ; Ste. 111. M. vii. 165 ; Zett. 

 I. L. 363, 9 ; Wesm. Nouv. M6m. Ac. Brux. 1844, p. 60 ; Holmgr. Ichn. Suec. i. 56; 

 S. V. Voll. Pinac. pi. xxxvi., ff. i et 3 ; Thorns. O. E. xviii. 1914 ; Berth. Ann. Soc. 

 Fr. 1894, p. 646, c? 9 . /. vaginaioi-iiis, Linn., F. S. 400 ; Gr. I. E. i. 357 ; Ste. 111. 

 M. vii. 174; Zett. I. L. 362; Ratz. Ichn. d. Forst. ii. 135, 6- I- bipartitus,^\\\. 

 Linn. Ent. 9. /. ciir-vatorius, Milll. Prodr., i. I. Jlavatus, Gmel. S. N. cJ. /. 

 tripuiictatus, Gmel. lib. cii. $. 



A very distinct species ; the coloration will at once distinguish it from 



