﻿126 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  S. 
  Saunders's 
  Notices 
  of 
  some 
  

  

  Polistes, 
  with 
  three 
  prolific 
  female 
  parasites 
  protruding 
  from 
  the 
  

   dorsal 
  segments 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  I 
  selected 
  from 
  a 
  I'olistcs 
  nest 
  

   a 
  variety 
  of 
  its 
  inmates, 
  in 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  development 
  ; 
  

   namely, 
  first, 
  a 
  well-conditioned 
  ovum, 
  with 
  the 
  yelk 
  concen- 
  

   trated, 
  tlie 
  head 
  and 
  eyes 
  partially 
  discernible, 
  but 
  the 
  embryo 
  

   exhibiting 
  as 
  yet 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  activity 
  ; 
  — 
  secondly, 
  one 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  

   advanced 
  state, 
  the 
  larva 
  within 
  ready 
  to 
  burst 
  the 
  superin- 
  

   cumbent 
  pellicle, 
  and 
  making 
  vigorous 
  efforts 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  — 
  but 
  on 
  

   placing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  hexapods 
  upon 
  these, 
  they 
  invariably 
  effected 
  

   their 
  escape. 
  

  

  1 
  next 
  chose 
  two 
  larvae 
  of 
  moderate 
  dimensions, 
  carefully 
  

   extracted, 
  whereunto 
  the 
  hexapods 
  very 
  readily 
  attached 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  in 
  a 
  singular 
  manner, 
  affixing 
  both 
  head 
  and 
  tail 
  like 
  

   leeches. 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  already 
  noticed 
  a 
  similar 
  proceeding 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  certain 
  

   hexapod 
  larvae 
  of 
  Hijlecthrus, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  larvae 
  

   o( 
  Hylceus, 
  I 
  had 
  placed 
  upon 
  some 
  other 
  larvae 
  of 
  diminutive 
  

   size, 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  Polistes 
  nest, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  former 
  readily 
  

   attached 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  aforesaid; 
  sometimes 
  com- 
  

   mencing 
  with 
  a 
  wriggling 
  motion, 
  and 
  shortly 
  afterwards 
  remain- 
  

   ing 
  perfectly 
  still, 
  assuming 
  by 
  degrees 
  a 
  gibbous 
  distended 
  form. 
  

   Fearing 
  at 
  first, 
  from 
  their 
  apparently 
  inanimate 
  condition, 
  that 
  

   they 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  injured 
  in 
  some 
  manner, 
  I 
  supplied 
  several 
  

   in 
  succession, 
  with 
  the 
  like 
  results 
  ; 
  when, 
  disturbing 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   earliest 
  so 
  placed, 
  I 
  found 
  it 
  still 
  alive, 
  the 
  body 
  being 
  moved 
  

   about 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  without 
  withdrawing 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  

   following 
  morning, 
  finding 
  the 
  hexapods 
  still 
  motionless, 
  I 
  again 
  

   disturbed 
  one 
  of 
  them, 
  when 
  it 
  commenced 
  coiling 
  about 
  with 
  the 
  

   same 
  activity 
  as 
  before, 
  retaining 
  the 
  head 
  immovable, 
  and 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  endeavouring 
  to 
  effect 
  a 
  breach 
  ; 
  or 
  perhaps 
  already 
  

   imbibing 
  nourishment, 
  as 
  practised 
  by 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  certain 
  Dip- 
  

   tcra, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  leech 
  is 
  also 
  carried 
  out. 
  

  

  The 
  Polistes 
  larvae, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  hexapods, 
  perished 
  within 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  days, 
  without 
  any 
  further 
  operations 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  subsequent 
  experiment 
  with 
  the 
  Xenos 
  

   hexapods 
  proved 
  more 
  conclusive. 
  

  

  At 
  2 
  p. 
  m., 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  hexapods 
  had 
  affixed 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  

   back 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Polistes 
  larvae 
  aforesaid 
  (which 
  by 
  way 
  

   of 
  distinction 
  may 
  be 
  designated 
  as 
  A. 
  and 
  B.), 
  and 
  at 
  5 
  p. 
  m., 
  

   had 
  completely 
  buried 
  itself 
  beneath 
  the 
  skin, 
  in 
  a 
  transverse 
  

   position 
  ; 
  while 
  another, 
  which 
  had 
  stationed 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  cate- 
  

   nulated 
  lateral 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  segments, 
  remained 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   period 
  in 
  statu 
  quo. 
  By 
  the 
  morning, 
  however, 
  the 
  latter 
  had 
  

  

  