192 Dr. D. Sharp <»i some 



the very good sketch from which fig. 1, Plate VIII. , is 

 taken. 



On removing some of the superincumbent small 

 insects, the central mass could be partly seen, and it 

 could be noticed that it consisted of a densely packed 

 paass of columnar bodies, probably about one hundred 

 in number. A portion of this mass is seen in fig. 2, 

 Plate VIII. 



The fact that some of the small insects were newly- 

 hatched Hemiptera suggested that this mass of columnar 

 bodies might be the eggs from which the bugs had 

 emerged, but if so, they were clearly eggs of a most 

 peculiar nature, for they consisted of two tiers or stories, 

 and moreover, attached to the mass, there were some 

 peculiar bodies having more the appearance of the styles 

 and stigma of a flower than of anything I was acquainted 

 with in the insect world. 



In order to get a better view of the object the wings of 

 the wasp were displaced so that the upper surface was 

 displayed, and a still more curious and problematic set 

 of structures was revealed ; for it was seen that the 

 upper extremity of each egg of the two external series 

 presented the appearance of a capsular body with an 

 orifice in the middle, while the eggs in the centre had 

 their free tops split up into ligulfe, and some of these 

 latter were curled over, and were seen to embrace the 

 peculiar floral-like structures I have already mentioned. 

 Fig. 3 gives a view of a portion of the upper surface of 

 the mass. 



I then sent some of the small Hymenoptera to Mr. 

 Peter Cameron, who was kind enough to inform me that 

 they consisted of two species of the genus Telenomus, 

 known to hymenopterologists as inquilines in the eggs 

 of bugs. Mr. Cameron has since described them under 

 the names of T. melanoqastcr and T. amazonica (Mem. 

 Manchester Soc. 1891). ' 



The probability that the columnar objects were the 

 eggs of a bug was much increased by this fact, and 

 became certainty on my observing that from the upper 

 surfaces of several of the objects the young bugs were 

 actually projecting, having, in fact, "been killed, and 

 arrested in the act of emerging from the egg. A few of 

 the eggs were then detached from the mass, and sub- 

 mitted to examination to ascertain their structure ; and 



