KNOWLEDGE OF THE BRITISH BRACONIDZE. 75 
attachment being at once made secure by the addition of a few 
twists of silk, after which the head is drawn away leaving the 
larva suspended by its anal extremity; the formation of the 
cocoon is then commenced. Some two hours are occupied by 
the larva in covering itself with the cocoon, but for many hours 
afterwards it may be seen hard at work spinning within. 
In all the cases observed by me the parasite larva emerged 
from the side of the seventh or eighth segment of the host, I 
believe, through a spiracle. 
As I mentioned before, I know of no instance of a Meteorid 
hibernating in the perfect state, but with several species the 
winter is passed within the body of the host, either as an ovum or 
young larva, and with a few others as a larva within the cocoon. 
My experience is that pupation does not take place until within 
a fortnight or so of the emergence of the imago, no matter how 
long a period may be spent within the cocoon. On emerging, the 
imago removes a neat cap from one end of its cocoon (fig. 6) ; 
with those species which construct fusiform cocoons the cap is 
always removed from the smaller end. 
In the following notes, unless otherwise stated, the records 
are my own, and the insects mentioned have been captured or 
bred in the New Forest. 
Meteorus albiditarsis (Curtis).* (Fig. 1.)—This, the largest 
species we have, may easily be distinguished from all other 
British Meteoride by having the radial areolet of the under 
wing divided by a distinct transverse nervure. It seems 
to be generally distributed and is fairly common in May and 
June; on those dull cold days which are, as a rule, only too 
frequent in the late spring, it may often be beaten from 
thorn bushes. 
A solitary parasite of the larvee of Noctue, the parasite larva 
emerging from the host when the latter is about to pupate in its 
subterranean earthern cocoon, within which the cocoon of the 
parasite is constructed. Marshall well describes this cocoon as 
‘‘felted stramineous with some loose flocculence’’; it consists of 
three layers, outside the ‘‘ loose flocculence,” which easily comes 
away when the cocoon is handled, then the cocoon proper, which 
is rather similar in colour'and texture to that of the ‘‘silk worm”’ 
of commerce, and within this a thin transparent, brownish 
envelope of a material much resembling goldbeater’s skin. On 
October 1st, 1913, I exhibited at a meeting of the Entomological 
Society of London a skein of silk wound from two of these 
cocoons (fig. 7). 
At least a period of ten months appears to be spent in the 
larva state, in which condition the winter is passed within the 
cocoon. I believe that sometimes even a second winter is so 
* ‘British Entomology,’ pl. cecexv. 
G 2 
