170 Mr. J. O. Westwood's Observations 



I next endeavoured to remove the remaining parasite, the body of 

 Vi^hich WHS internal, and its head exserted. The hind part of the body- 

 was perfectly free and yielded to the action of a pencil ; but although 

 I widened the space where the head protruded I found it impossible 

 to detach the parasite, the neck being apparently in some manner 

 attached to the interior surface of the bee's abdomen. After con- 

 siderable difficulty I ascertained that the attachment was caused by 

 a fine thread extending from one side of the neck and firmly at- 

 tached to the abdomen of the bee. Mr. Pickering, who was present 

 at the time, observed this curious circumstance as well as myself, 

 and we preserved the parasite attached to a portion of the abdomen 

 by means of this thread, in the bottle of spirits now exhibited, so 

 that any person now present may himself perceive the connexion. 

 Whether tliis thread was tubular or not I cannot state, but the circum- 

 stance, combined with the want of manducatory organs in the head 

 of the Stylops larva as noticed by Jurine, seems to favour the idea 

 originally entertained by Mr. Kirby, that the Stylops in its larva 

 state feeds by absorption. I would however by no means wish it to 

 be considered that this view of the subject is satisfactorily esta- 

 blished, even although it appears to be confirmed by the examination 

 of the exuviae of the Stylops which Mr. Pickering had extracted. 

 This, on removal, was found to consist of a thin and transparent 

 pellicle, being of a long cylindric and narrow form, having the dor- 

 sal portion more darkly shaded, and presenting the appearance of 

 indistinct articulations. This therefore appears to have been the 

 larva skin of the insect ; the neck exhibited the thickened appear- 

 ance visible in the neck of the larva, and, precisely in the same 

 situation that the thread above noticed was attached in the larva, I 

 observed an apparent spiracle or circular aperture connected with 

 an incrassated and apparently tubular process of the neck : within 

 the pellicle I likewise observed a long thread which appeared to 

 arise from the same aperture, but this might possibly be accidental 

 as it was removed without any difficulty or rupture. 



Within this pellicle at its posterior extremity was observed ano- 

 ther crumpled-up mass of pellicle of a dark opake colour, perfectly 

 distinct from the pellicle of the larva above mentioned, and which 

 evidently had formed the covering of the inclosed pupa, and had 

 been shed by it previous to the time when Mr. Pickering extracted 

 the imago. Hence, as well as from the account given by Jurine, it 

 is evident that the pupa of the Stylops is inclosed in a distinct skin, 

 and is also in that state enveloped by the skin of the larva, contrary 

 to the suggestion of Mr. Kirby ; and hence the accounts and figures 

 given by most authors of the pupa of these insects are in fact merely 



