﻿Mr. 
  F. 
  Smith's 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Habits 
  of 
  a 
  Bee-parasite. 
  249 
  

  

  observation, 
  and 
  have 
  diligently 
  searched 
  for 
  them 
  each 
  succeeding 
  

   spring 
  and 
  autumn, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  present 
  season 
  that 
  

   my 
  search 
  proved 
  successful. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  10th 
  of 
  September 
  last 
  I 
  discovered 
  two 
  cells 
  o^ 
  Antho- 
  

   phora 
  containing 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  parasite 
  Melit- 
  

   tobia 
  ; 
  and 
  three 
  others, 
  containing 
  larvae 
  of 
  Monodontomerus 
  ; 
  

   also 
  a 
  Chalcididous 
  parasite 
  on 
  Anthophora 
  ; 
  these 
  and 
  an 
  abund- 
  

   ance 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  larvse 
  and 
  pupae 
  of 
  the 
  bee 
  I 
  carried 
  home, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  following 
  day 
  was 
  occupied 
  in 
  arranging 
  my 
  acquisitions. 
  

   In 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  cells 
  containing 
  larvae 
  o? 
  Monodontomerus 
  I 
  observed 
  

   five 
  or 
  six 
  females 
  of 
  Melittobia, 
  and 
  on 
  placing 
  the 
  cell 
  under 
  a 
  

   microscope 
  I 
  distinctly 
  observed 
  a 
  female 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  depositing. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  are 
  surprisingly 
  large 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  diminutive 
  

   parasite 
  ; 
  they 
  are, 
  when 
  first 
  deposited, 
  nearly 
  globular, 
  but 
  soon 
  

   change 
  to 
  an 
  elongated 
  oval. 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  consider 
  them 
  

   ovoviviparous, 
  having 
  failed 
  in 
  observing 
  any 
  extrusion 
  from 
  the 
  

   egg, 
  after 
  most 
  careful 
  and 
  repeated 
  endeavours 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  On 
  further 
  examination 
  1 
  found 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  Mono- 
  

   dontomerus 
  were 
  either 
  infested 
  with 
  eggs 
  or 
  larvae 
  of 
  Mel'Utoh'ia, 
  

   As 
  well 
  as 
  1 
  could 
  decide, 
  it 
  appeared, 
  that 
  in 
  no 
  case 
  were 
  more 
  

   than 
  three 
  eggs, 
  or 
  larvee, 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  specimen. 
  The 
  

   parasites 
  have 
  since 
  the 
  22nd 
  of 
  September 
  successively 
  left 
  their 
  

   victims, 
  and 
  lie 
  inactive 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  glass 
  tubes 
  or 
  cells. 
  

   Twelve 
  or 
  fourteen 
  days 
  appear 
  probably 
  the 
  time 
  usually 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  in 
  feeding, 
  when 
  unarrested 
  by 
  change 
  of 
  temperature 
  ; 
  many 
  

   still 
  remain 
  attached 
  to 
  their 
  victims, 
  being 
  in 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  

   growth. 
  

  

  On 
  a 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  cells 
  containing 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   o^ 
  Melittobia, 
  two 
  days 
  after 
  obtaining 
  them, 
  I 
  observed 
  the 
  occu- 
  

   pants 
  of 
  one 
  cell, 
  in 
  some 
  instances, 
  changing 
  to 
  the 
  nymph 
  or 
  pupa 
  

   state 
  ; 
  after 
  which, 
  day 
  by 
  day, 
  they 
  progressed 
  rapidly 
  towards 
  

   their 
  perfect 
  condition; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  21st 
  of 
  the 
  

   month 
  I 
  found 
  eight 
  females 
  arrived 
  at 
  maturity. 
  On 
  the 
  following 
  

   day, 
  a 
  single 
  male 
  was 
  developed 
  ; 
  on 
  first 
  detecting 
  it, 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  

   coition 
  with 
  a 
  female. 
  The 
  males 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  salacious, 
  and 
  

   may 
  frequently 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  coitu. 
  On 
  the 
  23rd 
  another 
  male 
  ap- 
  

   peared, 
  and 
  I 
  determined 
  to 
  remove 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  separate 
  tube, 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  a 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  bee, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  five 
  females, 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  ascertain 
  its 
  duration 
  of 
  life. 
  Day 
  after 
  day 
  it 
  remained 
  healthy 
  

   and 
  active, 
  and 
  I 
  exhibit 
  the 
  same 
  insect 
  this 
  evening, 
  it 
  being 
  

   now 
  six 
  weeks 
  and 
  four 
  days 
  old.* 
  I 
  therefore 
  conclude 
  Mr. 
  Nevv- 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  have, 
  since 
  this 
  paper 
  was 
  read, 
  ascertained 
  that 
  the 
  males 
  usually 
  live 
  

   about 
  seven 
  weeks 
  ; 
  of 
  tliree 
  males 
  this 
  was 
  their 
  duration 
  of 
  life, 
  there 
  not 
  being 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  day's 
  difference 
  between 
  them. 
  

  

  