200 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



On September 7tb, 1913, I was fortunate enough to observe 

 the emergence of a larva of this species from its host. When 

 first noticed the latter was resting extended on a pine needle 

 of which it had taken a very firm grip with its anal claspers, and 

 from its swollen and unhealthy appearance evidently contained 

 a parasite. At 5.8 p.m. the parasite had forced its head through 

 the dorsal surface of one of the central segments, its body then 

 occupying practically the whole of the host between this segment 

 and the anus. By 5.19 the parasite larva had completed its 

 emergence, though it still retained a firm hold of its host with 

 its anal segments and had also loosely attached itself to the 

 caterpillar by a few threads of silk. By this time the host 

 was hanging inert from the pine needle by its anal claspers, 

 though still showing faint signs of life. The parasite larva 

 now worked its way up the body of the host by a crawling 

 motion until the pine needle was reached, to which it lightly 

 attached the caterpillar and then commenced busily spinning 

 its cocoon. The construction of the cocoon progressed rapidly, 

 and at 6 p.m. the Braconid larva released its grip of the host 

 which it apparently pushed away and caused to fall to the 

 ground. 



The larva of this species is of the usual cream colour with 

 the parts of the mouth outlined in brown, and raised obese 

 spiracular ridges. 



Cocoon smooth, pale, with a distinct rosy tint which is 

 often more pronounced towards one extremity (PL II, fig. 1). 

 Writing of A. vitripetinis ('Trans. Entom. Soc.,' 1885, p. 223) 

 Marshall mentions that Eaynor bred a female at Brandon from 

 Thera variata, the cocoon being accidentally stained at one end 

 orange red. It seems probable that he had a specimen of 

 A. pinicola before him, and that the coloration of the cocoon 

 was natural and not accidental as he supposed. 



I have twice bred a species of Astiphrommus, Thoms, as 

 a hyper-parasite and once, September 28th, 1913, Alcsoclwrus 

 fasicornis. 



A.fulvipes, Hal.* 



Without doubt the commonest species of the genus ; indeed, 

 every breeder of Lepidoptera must be well acquainted with the 

 bunches of pure white and rather woolly cocoons which he only 

 too frequently finds in his breeding cages. It is usually the 

 larvae of Nocture that fall victims to this parasite, and the 

 cocoons are, as a rule, found beneath the surface of the ground. 



There is a succession of generations from March to October, 

 the winter being passed within the body of a host, probably in 

 the egg state. 



An excellent account of the larva and pupa (both very 



* 'Ent. iMiiK ,' ii. 24l>. 



