CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BRITISH BRACONIDiE. 59 



which is a common primary parasite of Orchestes fagi. I am 

 greatly indebted to the Rev. James Waterston, of the British 

 Museum, for naming these two Chalcids. 



Caledonicus, Marsh.* 



The largest species we have, measuring 4 mm. in length. 

 Described from a specimen taken on the Grampian Hills. A 

 single female of this very distinct species, presumably the type, 

 is in Marshall's collection, now in the British Museum. 



Caiidatus, Nees. f 



A small species with the third abdominal segment shining 

 and not obtuse and the terebra of female as long as head, thorax 

 and abdomen combined; very similar to Jloricola and pallidipes, 

 though in the female the longer terebra easily distinguishes it 

 from both. Were it not that the legs of pallidipes are lighter in 

 colour (not, however, always clear rufous), the males would be 

 extremely difficult to separate from that species, while males of 

 caudatus a,nd Jioricola appear almost identical ; in the latter the 

 third abdominal segment is somewhat more shining and possibly 

 the hind tibise are rather more clearly rufescent banded, also 

 caudatus is slightly the larger. 



In my specimens the stigma is nigrofuscous, as described by 

 Nees, and not black, as mentioned by Marshall ; also in one 

 female the first abdominal suture is obscurely rufous and there 

 are traces of two rufous bands on the disc of the first segment. 

 Antennae of all males 21-jointed and of all females 20-jointed, 

 with one exception, where the number is 19. 



Nees says, "Habitat in fioribus umhellatis Jiortorum" ; and in 

 my garden at Brockenhurst this was a particularly plentiful 

 insect, numbers being attracted by the flowers of Daucus carota, 

 females predominating. I did not take it, however, before the 

 middle of July or after the first week in August. On August 25th, 

 1918, a single female was taken at the Fleam Dyke, near 

 Cambridge, and on September 22nd, 1919, I discovered another 

 crawling on the mudguard of a motor-car at Willingham, Cambs. 

 It would appear from this that the insect is double-brooded. 

 Marshall apparently had no personal knowledge of the species, 

 but mentions that Ratzeburg and Nardlinger bred it from 

 Orchestes quercus. Although I have reared numbers of pallidipes 

 from the curculio, caudatus has never occurred. 



Floricola, Wesm.t^ 



Very similar to caudatus, but rather smaller, and in the 

 female the antennae are distinctly shorter and more thickened, 



' ' Sp. Hymen. (Braconidae),' i, p. 317. 



t 'Mon.,' i, p. 268. 



+ ' Norw. Mem. Ac. Brux.,' 1835, p. 208. 



