May— June 1SS3.J 



rsiXHE. 



4:t 



tinned to searcli for them, I have been 

 unable to obtain tiie species. 



Its rediscovery by me the present year, 

 and the determination of the species, 

 lend additional interest to the notes 

 upon it that I made at its first observa- 

 tion, at Utica, N. Y., in June iS66, 

 and I therefore transcribe them from 

 my note-book : — 



I had collected a numlier of currant 

 leaves upon which the currant saw-fly 

 had deposited eggs, and was counting 

 the eggs upon each to obtain the average 

 number per leaf, when I noticed an 

 occasional brown egg among them, ap- 

 pearing somewhat abnormal in shape. 

 On placing them under a lens a resem- 

 blance to a pupal form was detected. 

 I at once suspected the presence of the 

 parasite for which we had been hoping. 

 Although there seemed to be but the 

 merest chance of discovering at large 

 an insect so minute as this must neces- 

 sarily be, I instituted a careful search 

 of the currant bushes in the garden, and 

 in a short time had the great gratification 

 of discovering a minute speck moving 

 among the eggs, which under my lens 

 revealed a form which left scarce room 

 for doubt of its parasitic character. 

 During the day I detected several more 

 of the kind upon the leaves containing 

 egg-deposits, aflbrding strong evidence 

 of their relationship. A few days there- 

 after (perhaps a week), in a small phial 

 in which I had placed some eggs that 

 I suspected of having been parasitized, 

 I had the delight of seeing several of 

 the familiar forms of my currant-leaf 

 acquaintances, and the ruptured pujia 



case^ from which they had evidently 

 escaped. 



The following year (1S67) there was 

 a marked diminution in the number of 

 currant-worms observed, and a corres- 

 ponding increase in parasitized eggs. 

 Many of the leaves had not been visited 

 b\' the parasite, but of those that gave 

 evidence of such visit, the yvork of de- 

 struction was almost complete, for of 

 several leaves bearing each from thirty to 

 forty eggs, all but five or six were trans- 

 formed into parasitic pupae. 



In June 1S68, 1 was able to make, at 

 Schoharie, N. Y.., the following obser- 

 vations upon the oviposition of the 

 parasite within the eggs of the currant 

 saw-fl\' : — 



In a small phial in vviiich hail been 

 placetl some parasitized eggs of the saw- 

 fly, a male and female parasite had 

 emerged. That I might observe their 

 actions I introduced a piece of currant 

 leaf having upon it some eggs which 

 I had just seen deposited. No evidence 

 was given that the female yvas aware 

 of the presence of the eggs, but after 

 several minutes traveling around the 

 glass, she moved upon the leaf, and in 

 passing over and beneath it, seemed 

 to meet with them accidentally. She 

 pausetl, and then began a careful inspec- 

 tion, walking over them several times, 

 and constantly palpating them with her 

 antennae. Then, satisfied with her ex- 

 amination, she attached herself to one 

 of the eggs, appressed the tip of her 

 abdomen to it. and remained in this 



