304 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



cells were placed in various positions, necessitated probably 

 by the form of the case and the confined space ; the four 

 female cells and six of the male cells were placed trans- 

 versely, the rest were in a longitudinal direction ; one cell 

 was empty, and was placed obliquely to the sides of the 

 case. The development of the insects was as follows : — On 

 the 20th March, 1867, they were still in the larva state; by 

 the lOlh May they had changed to pupae; on the 22nd May 

 six males came forth; on the 25lh three males; on the 30th 

 one male; on the 1st June three females appeared; and on 

 the 3rd another female. Not a single parasite was obtained. 

 Mr. Smith added that he had bred most of the species of 

 Odynerus, and had found that the number of males always 

 exceeded the number of females, iu the proportion of three 

 to one or thereabouts. 



Prof. Westwood was able to add another instance to the 

 list of curious localities for wasps and bets' nests. Mr. Hig- 

 gins had a Peruvian drinking- vessel, in the form of some 

 uncouth imaginary quadruped, the mouth-piece being in the 

 back of the animal ; and in tliis cup, at the extreuiity of one 

 of the creature's legs, a bee had built its nest. 



Mr. McLaciilan reniarked that he had recently seen the 

 male (S. linearis. King.) of the saw-fly, Strongylogaster cin- 

 gulatus, in some numbers near Croydon ; although the fe- 

 male was generally very abundant, the male was very rarely 

 seen. He alluded also to the apparent total absence of males 

 of many species of Tenthredinidae, as e.g. in Selandria stra- 

 raineipes, the females of which were universally abundant, in 

 company with the Strongylogaster, on the young fern, in 

 spring. It would almost seem as if these were cases of par- 

 thenogenesis. 



Mr. Janson mentioned Tomicus villosus as a nearly parallel 

 case among the Coleoptera : it was true Ratzeburg figured 

 an insect which was said to be the male, but though myriads 

 of the female were found annually, he believed that the male 

 had never been detected in this country. 



The President exhibited a.specin)en of one of the wingless 

 Diptera which he had found at Farnborough, Kent, under 

 bark, in co»)pany with Thysanura. He believed it to be the 

 Epidapus veuaticus of Haliday (see Walker, Ins. Brit. 

 Diptera, iii. 5(>). 



