﻿140 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  S. 
  Saunders's 
  Notices 
  of 
  some 
  

  

  pose 
  of 
  their 
  hexapod 
  progeny 
  as 
  required, 
  and 
  thus 
  complete 
  

   their 
  destined 
  cycle 
  of 
  existence. 
  

  

  13. 
  Impregnation 
  of 
  the 
  Female. 
  

  

  It 
  only 
  remains 
  to 
  notice 
  some 
  experiments 
  made 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   pairing 
  of 
  the 
  sexes 
  in 
  the 
  Hyleclhri, 
  I 
  having 
  on 
  various 
  occasions, 
  

   when 
  male 
  parasites 
  were 
  obtained, 
  selected 
  bees 
  bearing 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  their 
  apterous 
  partners 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  introducing 
  

   these 
  into 
  the 
  glass 
  tubes 
  containing 
  the 
  former. 
  More 
  diflficulty, 
  

   however, 
  being 
  experienced 
  in 
  retaining 
  the 
  bees 
  alive 
  when 
  nur- 
  

   turing 
  female 
  parasites 
  than 
  when 
  encumbered 
  with 
  the 
  conical 
  

   pupa 
  cases 
  of 
  males, 
  these 
  experiments 
  were 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  limited 
  

   to 
  newly-protruded 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  former, 
  which 
  the 
  males 
  were 
  

   in 
  nowise 
  disposed 
  to 
  notice 
  ; 
  although, 
  while 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  in- 
  

   cessantly 
  quivering 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  towards 
  the 
  light, 
  1 
  was 
  enabled 
  

   to 
  bring 
  the 
  females 
  conspicuously 
  before 
  them 
  by 
  keeping 
  the 
  

   bees 
  turned 
  in 
  that 
  direction, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  male 
  parasites 
  were 
  con- 
  

   tinually 
  traversing 
  their 
  path, 
  or 
  even 
  crossing 
  over 
  them. 
  

  

  Conceiving 
  at 
  length 
  that 
  these 
  female 
  parasites 
  had 
  possibly 
  not 
  

   attained 
  the 
  required 
  degree 
  of 
  development, 
  I 
  selected 
  one 
  which 
  

   had 
  emerged 
  five 
  days 
  previously, 
  placing 
  the 
  bee 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  bottle 
  

   with 
  two 
  male 
  parasites 
  whose 
  exit 
  from 
  the 
  pupa-case 
  had 
  just 
  

   been 
  accomplished, 
  when 
  impregnation 
  was 
  several 
  times 
  at- 
  

   tempted 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  both 
  males 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  Hylceus 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  

   feeble 
  condition, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  dying 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  day, 
  was 
  frequently 
  

   falling 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  having 
  no 
  power 
  to 
  retain 
  a 
  firm 
  footing 
  

   anywhere. 
  The 
  abdomen 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  was 
  on 
  each 
  occasion 
  

   strongly 
  recurved 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  squamous 
  cephalothorax 
  

   of 
  the 
  female, 
  the 
  same 
  proceeding 
  being 
  noticed 
  ten 
  or 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   times, 
  the 
  males 
  flying 
  off 
  and 
  returning 
  at 
  intervals. 
  They, 
  

   however, 
  as 
  usual, 
  only 
  maintained 
  their 
  activity 
  for 
  about 
  the 
  

   space 
  of 
  two 
  hours, 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  remained 
  exhausted 
  and 
  

   helpless, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  shaken 
  out 
  on 
  paper 
  without 
  risk 
  of 
  escape. 
  

  

  About 
  a 
  fortnight 
  later 
  another 
  opportunity 
  presented 
  itself 
  of 
  

   witnessing 
  similar 
  results. 
  A 
  bee 
  exhibiting 
  a 
  female 
  parasite, 
  

   having 
  completed 
  its 
  transformations 
  on 
  the 
  25th 
  June, 
  was 
  placed 
  

   the 
  same 
  day 
  in 
  a 
  phial 
  containing 
  a 
  newly-issued 
  male 
  Hy- 
  

   tecthrus, 
  without 
  the 
  slightest 
  notice 
  being 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  former, 
  

   although 
  repeatedly 
  brought 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  The 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  day 
  the 
  experiment 
  was 
  renewed 
  with 
  other 
  males, 
  some 
  

   of 
  these 
  inclosed 
  in 
  a 
  muslin-covered 
  box, 
  but 
  without 
  effect. 
  

   On 
  the 
  third 
  day, 
  having 
  introduced 
  the 
  same 
  Hylceus 
  to 
  a 
  phial 
  

   containing 
  a 
  male 
  parasite 
  which 
  had 
  just 
  quitted 
  the 
  pupa-case, 
  

   ihe 
  latter 
  immediately 
  settled 
  upon 
  the 
  abdomen 
  of 
  the 
  bee, 
  qui- 
  

  

  