BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 2I7 



transverse ; frons strongly concave, transversely striate ; mandibles, palpi, 

 cheeks, frontal orbits, sides of clypeus and of face, more or less broadly 

 flavous. Antennae setaceous, black ; white-banded in both sexes ; of cj 

 elongate with the joints cylindrical and the scape flavidous beneath. 

 Thorax black ; pronotum, lines before and beneath radix, propleurae and 

 usually the meso- and meta-pleurae, flavidous ; metathorax bidentate, short 

 and much lower than the mesonotum, which is centrally canaliculate 

 in ($ ; its basal area distinct ; areola transverse or sub-hexagonal ; costulae 

 wanting, spiracles linear. Scutellum flavous, oblong-quadrate, of c^ with 

 post-scutellum also flavous. Abdomen black, lanceolate-ovate ; segments 

 three to five sub-quadrate ; six and seven short, the latter apically truncate; 

 post-petiole somewhat narrow, flat, shagreened or finely aciculate, apically 

 glabrous ; gastrocaeli small, transverse-linear ; second and third segments 

 rugosely punctate, former sub-aciculate in S. Legs elongate, pale red, 

 tibiae and tarsi stout ; anterior coxae, and hind ones marked with, flavous. 

 Wings slightly clouded and flavescent ; stigma piceous ; areolet deltoid, 

 sometimes coalesced above ; radial nervure apically curved. Length, 

 14-18 mm. 



jE. intrepidiis is a $ variety of this species with the antennae sub-dilated, 

 often entirely black ; the thorax also usually entirely, and the coxae and 

 trochanters always, black. It, moreover, rarely has two parallel vittae on 

 the mesonotum and the post-scutellum flavous. 



Holmgren points out that the size and extent of the pale markings are 

 very variable in the 9 , which, he says, ranges from 15 to 22 mm. ; he indi- 

 cates two varieties, of which the first differs from the type only in having 

 the scape beneath, sides of the breast, and the trochanters in part, pale, 

 the second has the antennae entirely, the thorax entirely, the scutellum 

 entirely excepting sometimes its extreme apex, and all the coxae and tro- 

 chanters, black. From its congeners it may be known by the sub-cubical, 

 anteriorly quadrate head and entirely pale tibiae and tarsi. 



I have not investigated the subject of De Geer's name, but am doubtful 

 of its validity since, even though the identity be established, it appears to 

 be pre-Linnean.^ 



This species occurs throughout the whole of Europe, and has been 

 found in northern Africa, but it appears to be rare in Britain and was for 

 long considered doubtfully indigenous ; it has been bred both here and 

 abroad from Dicranura vimila and Stauropus fagi, the larvae of the latter 

 in one instance having been collected in the New Forest. 



3. torvus, JVesf/i. 



Iclmeumon iristis, Gr. I. F. i. 136, i (part.). Eurylabus torvus, Wesm. Nouv. Mdm. 

 Ac. Brux. 1844, p. 151 : Bui. Ac. Brux. 1853, p. 304; Holmgr. Ichn. Suec. ii. 305; 

 Thorns. O. E. xix. 2102 ; Berth. Ann. Soc. Fr. 1896, p. 309, i ?. 



Head sub-quadrate anteriorly, not narrowed behind the eyes ; frons 

 strongly concave, transversely rugose and centrally canaliculate ; clypeus 

 strongly punctate, slightly depressed laterally, foveae normal, in the centre 

 of the apex are two small granulae ; $ with facial orbits stramineous. 



1 It may be of interest, in this connection, to call attention to some capital and very perfect 

 observations "On the strange Generation of a Species of Ichneumon fly," in some havs'k-moth cater- 

 pillar feeding upon willow, which were published by John Hill, m.d., in his "Essays in Natural 

 History and Philosophy " ; London, 1752, pp. 72-90. 



