156 STREPSIPTERA. 



reader may imagine how greatly my astonishment 

 was increased when, after I had drawn it out but a 

 httle way I saw its skin burst, and a head as black 

 as ink, with large staring eyes, and antennae, con- 

 sisting of two branches, break forth and move itself 

 briskly from side to side. It looked like a little 

 imp of darkness just emerging from the infernal 

 regions." 



The above description will serve to give the reader 

 a pretty good idea of the mode in which these in- 

 sects are to be found, for they are all parasitic upon 

 different species of bees and wasps ; but the vene- 

 rable and distinguished discoverer of these strange 

 insects was in error in describing the soft grub-like 

 creature which he first pulled out of the body of the 

 bee as the larva, it being in reality the female, and 

 the little " imp of darkness," whose emergence is so 

 graphically described, is the male Sty lops. 



The true larva, a soft, maggot-like creature, re- 

 sides in the interior of the grub of the bee, and in 

 the interior of the bee itself, until it has attained its 

 full size, when it undergoes a certain amount of 

 change ; the anterior portion of its body acquires a 

 horny consistency, and is pushed out between the 

 segments of the bee's abdomen, forming those little 

 flattened bodies that first arrested Mr. Kirby's at- 

 tention, and which may frequently be found upon 

 the surface of our early bees {Andrsenm). This is 

 the only change to which the females are subject, 

 but the males become converted into true pup?e 

 within the skin of the larva, and thus lie sheltered 

 within the body of their victim, and separated from 

 the outer .world by the small horny plate with which 

 their old integument is surmounted. 



But the time soon arrives wlien the delicate little 

 insect is to seek his mate ; the horny cap gives way, 

 and he emerges into light and air. A curious little 

 fellow he is, but not without considerable pretensions 

 to elegance in his appearance. The female, to whom 

 this elegant and volatile little creatm-e is incessant 



