British Braconidce. 89 



the illustration in the ' British Entomology ' applies to 

 the present genus, the type adduced (Z. testaceator, Cur.) 

 belongs to the Macrocentrides, and Zele has been placed 

 in that group, with the required correction, by Haliday. 

 Zemiotes and Proteins are genera proposed by Forster 

 (Verb. d. pr. Rheinl., 1862, p. 253) for two species of 

 Meteorus, but I have found it impossible to adopt them 

 here. The only differential character assigned to 

 Zemiotes is the partition of the radial areolct of the hind 

 wings by a transverse nervure, as in M. albiditarsis, Cur. 

 But this character includes M. caligatus, Hal., which in 

 other respects differs widely, while it excludes threfi other 

 large species which are closely allied. Proteins was 

 devised in order to isolate M. chrysophthalmus, Nees, on 

 the ground that the prrebrachial areolet of the fore 

 wings is longer than the pobrachial. Even if this were 

 always true, the extreme triviality of such a character 

 must strike any one who looks at the insect ; but it 

 happens that the two areolets are sometimes equal in 

 length, and therefore the genus Proteins cannot be 

 maintained. 



Most of the Meteori are parasites of Lepidoptera, 

 either singly, or, in the case of the smaller species, 

 gregariously ; a few have also been found to infest 

 fungivorous Coleoptera. Several species form shining 

 brown cocoons, in which they are found suspended by a 

 thread of silk from leaves or branches of trees, and 

 hence Latreillc named one which he observed pendulator, 

 supposed by Haliday to be ietcrieus, Nees, but it cannot 

 now be identified with certainty ; the cocoon of ictericus 

 is figured by Curtis (B. E., 415). The head of the 

 insect is always turned downwards, and, as it spins by 

 the mouth, we have to account for the fact that somehow 

 it is able to reverse its position in the air, since at the 

 moment of its first suspension the head would naturally 

 be uppermost ; so far as I know, no observation has yet 

 been made to explain this circumstance. Other species, 

 including all the largest, and some smaller, weave 

 whitish cocoons of a felted texture, which are never 

 pensile, but fastened to leaves, &c, in the ordinary way. 

 Some gregarious species heap their cocoons together in 

 the manner of Microgasters ; and those which live 

 singly in the fungivorous larvae of beetles attach the 

 cocoon to the under side of the dead victim. This 



