204 Mr. J. O. Wcstwood on the Habits 



laurels in the grounds at Netlcy in Shropshire, one of the seats of 

 this gentleman's family ; but the cause of my mentioning its capture 

 at the present time is to notice the curious statement of MM. Saint 

 Fargeau and Brulle, contained in their monograph upon this genus 

 in the third volume of the ' Annales de la Societe Entomologique de 

 France,' p. 963, that (contrary to the universally received opinion of 

 entomologists, that the antennae of all male aculeate Hymenoptera, 

 except Ceramius and Masaris, have 13 joints,) some species of Crahro 

 form exceptions to this rule, the males having only 12 joints, whilst 

 the abdomen has the ordinary number of joints of the male. Amongst 

 the insects stated to be thus organized is the Crabro tibialis, Pz. F.G. 

 83.14, forming the genus Corynopus of this monograph, and of which 

 the antenucB of the males are described thus, " Presque liliformes, de 

 douze articles apparens, le quatrieme fortement echancre en dessous," 

 p. 803. Notwithstanding this description, with the assistance of a 

 lens of very moderate power, thirteen distinct joints are to be per- 

 ceived, as represented in Plate XXII., fig. B. ; according to which 

 figure it will be seen, from the description given by the French au- 

 thors of the fourth joint being notched, that they must have overlooked 

 the true third joint, as it is the fifth which is most strongly notched ; 

 the third is indeed small, but foi'ms a very distinct cup, receiving the 

 base of the fourth joint. 



Another peculiarity exhibited by this insect exists in the curious 

 structure of the basal joint of the anterior tarsi in the males, which 

 is longer than all the remainder of the tarsal joints, united and 

 furnished with a broad wing-like membrane of a thin consistence, 

 quite unlike the dilatation observed in the males of some of the 

 species of the genus Crabro. In their description of this insect 

 MM. St. Fargeau and Brulld have not mentioned the construction of 

 the male tarsi, but in their synoptical table of characters distlnguish- 

 mg the males of the group Crabronites, they incorrectly state that the 

 anterior tarsi are simple. 



This insect is placed in the English catalogues under the genus 

 Rhopalum of Kirby, of which no description having been yet pub- 

 lished, the name must sink into a synonym of Physoscelus employed 

 by MM. Saint Fargeau and Brulle for the Crabro riifiventris of 

 Panzer ; but the differences between Physoscelus and Corynopus ex- 

 clusive of the incoiTect description of the antenna; noticed above, 

 consist merely in a slight variation of the form of the extremity of 

 the abdomen. 



Trypoxylon figulus. The name of this genus was proposed by 

 Latreille, in allusion to the supposed wood-boring habits of the in- 

 sects of which it is composed. Of these habits the first indication 



