’ NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 245 
home, and placed it in a similar position in which I found it, to 
watch its progress. The larve emerged independently (each 
making a small aperture) from both sides of the caterpillar, which 
was resting at full length on the upper side, and at once began 
making a web around the twig and in every direction, apparently 
without the slightest order; this continued for about three hours 
before I could detect whether they were going to make a round 
mass or the usual semi-pyramid of cocoons. From that time it 
began to get into the final shape, and was completed, to all 
external appearance, in about seven hours, the mass forming 
under the twig; the victim by that time had twisted itself half 
round, apparently trying to protect its destroyers. By the next 
morning it had taken up a position over the cocoons similar 
to that figured above. From these observations it will be 
seen that the caterpillar voluntarily covers them. I am at a loss 
to conjecture any reason for this, seeing that the larve themselves 
had securely fastened the mass of pup to the twig. Ninety-five 
imagos emerged this morning, which are certainly Microplitis 
alvearia, Fabr., and very distinct from those bred from the 
B. repandata.—G. C. Bianeti; Stonehouse, Plymouth, Sep- 
tember 38, 1880. 
[The ichneumon which attacked the Boarmia repandata is a 
species of the genus Microplitis, with the head, thorax and abdomen 
black, all the legs yellowish, except hind coxe, which are black, 
but pale just at apex. Such a species is not described by Haliday 
in ‘ Entomological Magazine’ (vol. 11.).—Ep.| 
PaRASITES OF ABRAXAS GROSSULARIATA.—On the afternoon of 
May 30th, while standing in a garden at Laira, my attention was 
directed to a small ichneumon flitting about from leaf to leaf, 
keeping its antenne in constant motion, evidently hunting about 
for a victim in which to perpetuate her race. After waiting and 
watching some time she came up to the object of her search, 
which was a larva of Abraxas grossulariata. After passing round 
it several times, apparently to make sure everything was correct, 
she suddenly sprang on the unfortunate larva, and thrust her 
ovipositor into the 2nd segment just below the dorsal line; the 
larva, during the operation, twisted itself from side to side to get 
rid of the foe. The ichneumon, Mesochorus olerum, Curt., then 
alighted on a leaf close by, and very carefully wiped her ovipositor. 
I then boxed my lady, and waited to see what the larva would do. 
