520 Prof. J. O. Weshvood's Notes of the habits 



On attaining the perfect state (No. 6), the insect makes its 

 escape from its nidus hy an opening at one end, leaving 

 the ])upa case protruding therefrom about half its length 

 (see IS'o. 5), like the Oihctici. The six specimens above 

 mentioned show the insect in all its principal stages ; the 

 eggs I have not yet seen. INIy breeding-cage is a large 

 one, Avith gauze sides and gauze top, and in this I keep 

 my Falfjorce, which require to be kept constantly supplied 

 •with fresh branches of trees on Avhich they feed, by 

 thrusting their rostrum into the bark. As before men- 

 tioned, the ]:)arasites, Avhen full grown, drop from the 

 insect on Avhich they have been living, and I find that 

 they generally creep to the top of the cage, remaining 

 back doAvnAvards. For the first day or two I can dis- 

 tinguish the naked underside of the insect against the 

 gauze, but its coating of cotton grows thicker and thicker 

 imtil the larva dlsai)pears totally enveloped in its Avarm 

 nidus. ]\ly first specimen came out in ISIarch. On 

 taking my morning look at the cage, I obser\'ed Avith 

 pleasure that one of my little parasites had attained the 

 perfect state ; for there Avere the cocoon and pupa case 

 before me. I searched carefully for the imago, Avhicli 

 I fully expected Avould prove a Curcullo, but I found 

 nothing but a small moth already dead. This Avas by no 

 means satisfactory, as the beetle, if it Avere one, might 

 have eaten its Avay through the gauze, and the moth 

 might liaA^e been brought in Avith the fresh leaves the 

 previous day. I therefore took another s]iccimen, Avhich 

 had just assumed the piipa state, and enclosed it in a small 

 tin box, Avhich shut closely, and Avhose lid Avas j)ierced 

 Avith a number of minute holes to admit the air. There 

 could be no mistake noAv, and night and morning I 

 examined the box. On the 9th day I Avas delighted at 

 observing that the imago had come forth. This time 

 there could be no doubt, for a beautiful little moth, already 

 dead, Avas lying by the cocoon, similar in every respect to 

 the one I had formerly found in the cage. Nos. 5 and 6 

 are the cocoon and imago in question. I have to request 

 that this series of specimens may bo ^jresentcd to the 

 National ISIuseum after being exhibited to the members 

 of the Society. The larva? themselves are not common ; 

 the specimen labelled 2 I consider particularly interesting. 

 I had it in my box for some time, Avhen one day a number 

 of Hymenoj'tera issued from it, parasites on a parasite. 



