Hniirns pi/US'] BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 281 



in both. Vollenhovcn's variety differs in having the petiolar area some- 

 what striate and the basal ncrvure not continuous through the median. 



It was originally described from Swedish specimens, captured in the 

 middle of July, and appears to be everywhere rare in north-west ?2urope, 

 extending to France; but has been nowhere yet bred. The variety is a 

 Swiss form, not yet known to occur with us. This is the only species of 

 its genus considered to be rare bv Bridgman, in whose Norwich collec- 

 tion is a single specimen u itli IIk' lower apical margin of the glabrous 

 alar area narrowly corneous flavidous, as it also is in the only example I 

 possess, a female received in 1901 from Rev. H. S. Gorham. 



2. ramidulus, Linn. 



Icliitcioiion raniiiliiliis, I.inn. S.N. 1758, 566; Berkenhout, Nat. Hist. Brit. 

 1769, 166; Schr. En. 1781, 372; Fab. E.S. 1793, 178; Schr. F.B. ii. 263. Spiicx 

 fnnicafa. Poda, Ins. Graec. 1761, 107; Scop. Ent. Carn, 290, pi. xl, fig. 768. 

 Ophioii raiiiidiiliis. Fab. E.S. 1798, 236; Piez. 131; Gr. I.E. iii. 399 ; Curt. B.E. 

 fol. 600. Aiionialon raniititiliiiii , Jur. Nouv. Meth. 116. Enicospilus ramidu- 

 lus, Ste. IIlus. Man. Suppl. 3; Thorns. O.E. xii. 1188; Brauns, Arch. Nat. Meckl. 

 1889, p. 96, s ?. HcnicospihiK ramidulus, Bridg. -Fitch, Entom. 1884, p. 177, 

 <? ? . 



Head con.slricti-d behind the eyes, which are subcontiguous with ocelli; 

 cheeks subconstricted and not very short; facial orbits pale flavous. 

 Thorax immaculate ; notauli wanting, epicnemia bisinuate, mesosternum 

 very coarsely punctate, speculum not smooth ; metathorax closely punc- 

 tate, not strigose nor excavate towards its apex, with the basal transcarina 

 strong. Scutellum with its apical declivity immarginate. Abdomen with 

 segments five to eight entirely black. Wings hyaline, nervures pale ; 

 stigma narrow and flavous, emitting the basally incrassate and subsinuate 

 radius from its basal fourth ; lower basal nervurc usually a little antefurcal ; 

 brachial cell subdilated apically, with its upper margin not curved; fenes- 

 tra of second recurrent nervurc not extending to centre ; nervellus inter- 

 cepted below its centre and not antefurcal. Length, 16-22 mm. 



Instantly know by the deep black anus. 



It is not an unusual species in northern European woods, extending to 

 France; and has frequently been bred: from Poailocampa populi by 

 Rondani, Bombvx piiiihy Dours, Eiiogasfcr la?icsliis by Scopoli, Dipicrvi^ia 

 piuaslri bv Drewsen, Jrachca pmiperda by Hartig, (iiraud, Brischkc^ and 

 Norgate (Entom. 1883, p. 65), Dianthecia capsincola by (iiraud, and Irom 

 Iladnia pisihs Gravenhorst and in south Devon on 26th June by P)ignell. 

 In Britain it has been recognised since 1769, when it was described by 

 Ik'rkcnhout, and the figure of it in Donovan's Nat. Hist. Brit. Ins. ii 

 (1-793) is passable. It is, however, distinctly local, and 1 never found it 

 about Ipswich during ten years' collecting. It occurs singly in the New 

 Forest, where 1 have seen it flying slowly over long grass and reeds in 

 Matley Bog during August; but at Southwold on the Suffolk coast it was 

 common in Se])teniber, 1907, along with the next species; I first took 

 it there at light in a house at 11.30 p.m. on 25th July, 1900. Elliott and 

 I have swi-jU it in Tuddenham Fen late in August, and Chitty took it at 

 lirandon on reeds in 190O. Norgate n-cords it (I''.M.I\I. xvi, p. 182) from 

 Tresco in the Scilly Isles during Augu.st, 1878; and Bridgman from the 

 Heigham Osier Carr in Norfolk. I have examples from Harling in 

 Sussex and Woking (I'>eauni<nit) ; Loo Bridge in July (.'\ndrcw.s) ; Burbeck 



