Metopius | BRITISH ICHNEUMONS. 5 

flat moss,” in Wigtownshire, on 13th May, 1902. There are two “ British”’ 
specimens in Marshall's collection and eight from Stephens’, Desvignes’ 
and Heysham’s in the British Museum. 
On oth May, 1911, a Q of this species emerged, from a pupa of Bom- 
byx quercus, var. callunae, received in the autumn of 1909 from Arran, in 
the breeding cage of Mr. B. A. Bower, who kindly forwarded it to me. It 
arrived in a lively condition on 11th morning, and at once lapped 
moistened loaf sugar as soon as presented with great avidity with its 
ligula, but without any motion of the closed mandibles. I noticed that 
when annoyed at restraint it emitted a high note, resembling that of a 
Bombus in similar circumstances, evidently caused by the visible though 
rapid vertical vibration of the lower wings, for the tone was unchanged by 
fastening together the upper wings, which in rest are folded horizontally 
upon each other. The flight is accompanied by a deep buzz, resembling 
that of Zrichiosoma. 1 never saw the antennae laid back upon the thorax, 
as does Exefasfes, but they were held at rest slightly curved backwards 
with the basal half at right angles to and on a level with the body. I kept 
it loose in my study till the morning of the 16th when, after detrimental 
adventures with a large spider (Segestria senoculata, Linn., I think) that 
could not secure so large a prey, and the sticky sugar that proved detri- 
mental to its wings, it was found to be moribund. On r2th and 13th I 
tried “ assembling” with no results ; I thought possibly the habits of host 
might be perpetuated in the parasite. 
2. micratorius, Fab. 
Ichneumon fasciatus, Fourc. E. P. ii. 428; Vill. Linn. Ent. iii. 192; I. lunu- 
latus, Vill. lib. cit. 203; Oliv. Encycl. Méth. vii. 219; Rossi, Mant. 122; gi 
variegator, Rossi, F. E. ii. 46 (2). I. micratorius, Fab. Piez. 62, ¢; Jur. Nouv. 
Méth. 108, ¢ ¢. Metopius micratorius, Panz. Krit. Revis. ii. 79; Trentep. 
Isis, 1826, p. 295; Gr. I. E. iii. 299, ¢; Wesm. Bul. Ac. Brux. 1849, p. 625; 
Holmgr. Sv. Ak. Handl. 1855, p. 373, pl. ix, fig. 25, ¢ ; Kies. Berl. Ent. Zeit. 
1861, p. 192; Thoms. Deut. Ent. Zeit. 1887, p. 195; OME. xx.. ZIZ9 ster. 
Peltastes micratorius, Ulig. Rossi, F. E. ii. 55. P. fasciatus, Doumerc, Ann. 
Soc. Fr. 1860, p. 317. Metopius necatorius, Gr. I. E. iii. 292, ¢ ; Voll. Pinac. 
pl. xvi, ff. 3 et 4, ¢ ?. Peltastes necatorius, Illig. Rossi. 55; Curt. B. E. fol. 
AD aml. Pts Gab. 11. 16: 
Head with face of Q with all or only the lateral margins more or less 
broadly flavous, of @, as well as the mouth, entirely flavous ; frontal 
orbits concolorous ; mandibles apically black, acute and not emarginate ; 
facial concavity subovate and longer than broad. Antennae black with 
the flagellum beneath entirely, or only towards the base, ferrugineous ; 
scape black, and usually flavous-marked beneath. Thorax black with a 
line before and callosity beneath radices, two marks on metanotum and 
often others on mesopleurae, usually flavous. Scutellum scabrous, black, 
usually with the apical angles or whole apex, and in g rarely two post- 
scutellar dots, flavous. Abdomen with the anus sometimes sub- 
caerulescent ; first segment very short and flavous with its base, and in @Q 
generally a central longitudinal line black; second with only a flavous dot 
in each of the apical angles or very rarely the whole margin narrowly 
flavous; third to fifth and often sixth flavous-margined, seventh rarely 
concolorous. Legs black with the trochanters of g entirely and of 
more or less broadly apically, the anterior femora more or less laterally 
and the hind ones sometimes basally, all the tibiae with the anterior of 
