228 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



I noticed many cocoons constructed by Braconiclce of the 

 aphidivorous genus Praon, Hal. ; the cocoons of this genus 

 are quite unmistakable, being somewhat tent-shaped and firmly 

 affixed to leaves beneath the bodies of the hosts, whose dried 

 skins usually remain attached. Sprouting from the summits 

 of some of these cocoons were curious pale brown or dirty-white 

 processes which a pocket lens showed to be of a fungoid nature. 

 In some cases the fungus in growing seemed to have pushed 

 off the empty skin of the aphis which as a rule surmounts the 

 cocoon, but in others the skin of the juiceron was still to be 

 seen in its usual position, though more or less covered by the 

 fungus. 



Thinking this fungus might be of some interest to a 

 mycologist, I sent one or two specimens to my friend, 

 Mr. J. F. Rayner, of Southampton, who most kindly took 

 considerable trouble in identifying the species, which he con- 

 sidered could be none other than Isaria arachnophila, Ditmar, 

 supposed heretofore to be always parasitic on spiders. Mr. 

 Eayner asked if I could procure further specimens, but this 

 I was not able to do until October, 1916, when I found the 

 fungus to be even more plentiful than in 1915, so that two 

 dozen or more examples were easily collected. Some of these 

 Mr. Rayner forwarded to Miss Annie Lorrain Smith, F.L.S., 

 of the British Museum, South Kensington, asking for her 

 opinion. She replied as follows : " I still think that the Isaria 

 agrees with Ditmar's description and original figure. More 

 recently it has been mixed up with another thing — Gib ellula, 

 which is parasitic on the Isaria. I fancy your correspondent 

 ought to publish his figures, etc., of the whole thing, and say 

 that it evidently corresponds with the Isaria arachnophila." 

 At the time these fungal parasites were gathered I also collected 

 several cocoons of the Praon which showed no signs of having 

 been attacked by the fungus, in the hope that I might breed 

 the braconid. Unfortunately, in this I was unsuccessful ; there 

 is Httle doubt, however, that the species was Praon volucre, Hal., 

 a common and well-known parasite of many pucerons — among 

 others, Callipteriis quercus, Ivalt. In the specimen photographed 

 it will be noticed that there are fifteen or sixteen stems sprouting 

 from the summit of the cocoon, but in most of the examples 

 there were not more than five or six of these excrescences, while 

 in a few only one or two. The stems are from 1 to 2 mm. 

 in length, slightly thicker towards the apex, pale-brown in 

 colour, almost smooth, and having a velvety appearance under 

 magnification. 



This would seem to be the first time an entomogenous fungus 

 has been recorded as attacking a braconid, though Cordyceps 

 myrmecophila has been found on an ichneumon. 



. In ' Vegetable Wasps and Plant Worms,' Mr. M. C. Cooke 



