Sttaris | HETZROMERA. og 
tibia together; the claws are Jong sharp and simple ; this arrangement 
evidently answers the same purpose as the apparently trifid claw of 
the Meloé larva; the perfect female deposits her eggs at the entrance of 
the galleries of certain mason bees belonging to the genus Anthophora; 
the young larve hatch out at the end of September or beginning of 
October ; they remain in a sort of lethargic state until the following 
April, without taking food and without changing either in form or size; 
at this time, however, they become more active, and attach themselves 
to the male Anthophora, which emerge from the pupe sooner than the 
females ; it is a very curious fact that some sort of instinct seems to 
teach them that they are wrong, and, watching their opportunity, they 
pass from the male to the female bee; M. Fabre, on examining several 
cells of the Anthophora, found that in some the egg of the bee floated by 
itself on the surface of the honey; in others on the egg, as on a raft, 
sat the larva of Sitaris; evidently then at the moment the egg is laid 
the parasitic larva springs upon it; the egg is devoured after eight 
days, and on the empty shell the Sztavis undergoes its first transforma- 
tion, and the slim active larva changes into a white fleshy grub, with the 
under side so much inflated and distended that it floats easily on the 
honey with its spiracles raised above it and its mouth just resting on 
the surface; in this state it remains until the honey is all consumed; 
it then contracts and changes into a state called by M. Fabre a pseudo- 
pupa or false chrysalis ; its shape in this condition is oval, and it has a 
solid corneous envelope, and in colour, consistency, and immobility 
somewhat resembles a Dipterous pupa; it remains in this state for a 
varying time and then assumes the form of an ordinary fleshy larva, 
with the upper surface convex, the spiracles on the lower side of the body, 
and the head ard short antenne and legs distinct ; after all these changes 
it turns into a pupa of much the ordinary type, and in the month of 
August the perfect insect makes its appearance, having taken nearly two 
years to pass through all these transformations. 
S. muralis, Forst. (hwmeralis, F.). Black, fuscous-black or black- 
brown, with the base of the elytra and the base of the first joint of the 
posterior tarsi yellow-testaceous ; the elytra areoften lighterthan the head 
and thorax ; head large, dilated somewhat behind eyes, thickly, rugosely, 
and strongly punctured; antenne varying in length in the sexes ; thorax 
subquadrate, with sides subparallel and base truncate, diffusely and 
coarsely, but somewhat variably, punctured with a central depression 
and line; scutellum large, subtruncate or slightly emarginate behind ; 
elytra broad at base and gradually narrowed to a point behind, strongly 
divaricate, more or less coriaceous, rugosely punctured, the punctuation 
becoming much finer behind ; wings ample, visible from above; legs 
moderately long and stout, black, with the tibie and tarsi often more or 
less pitchy. LL. 7-12 mm, 
Male with the antenne much longer than in female and gradually 
H 2 
