﻿250 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  Smith's 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  port's 
  insects 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  some 
  condition 
  detrimental 
  

   to 
  their 
  existence, 
  as 
  he 
  found 
  all 
  the 
  males 
  which 
  came 
  forth 
  in 
  

   the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  one 
  day 
  dead 
  on 
  the 
  following 
  morning 
  ; 
  which 
  

   led 
  him 
  to 
  conclude 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  short-lived 
  insects, 
  but 
  

   direct 
  observation 
  proves 
  such 
  a 
  conclusion 
  to 
  be 
  erroneous 
  ; 
  and 
  

   the 
  very 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  paucity 
  of 
  males 
  as 
  compared 
  to 
  females, 
  suf- 
  

   ficiently 
  appears 
  to 
  indicate 
  a 
  different 
  economy. 
  The 
  bee's 
  cell 
  

   contained 
  about 
  seventy 
  larvse, 
  only 
  four 
  of 
  which 
  became 
  males, 
  

   and 
  by 
  these 
  the 
  whole 
  brood 
  has 
  been 
  fecundated. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  circumstance 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  attacks 
  

   of 
  these 
  parasites, 
  is 
  the 
  preference 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  shown 
  in 
  

   attacking 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  Monodonlomerus. 
  Although 
  I 
  placed 
  larvae 
  

   of 
  these, 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  bee, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  boxes, 
  I 
  invariably 
  found 
  

   that 
  they 
  first 
  attached 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  cells 
  containing 
  the 
  pa- 
  

   rasitic 
  larvae 
  ; 
  never, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  observed, 
  depositing 
  more 
  

   than 
  three 
  eggs 
  on 
  one 
  victim 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  now 
  in 
  my 
  possession 
  

   three 
  broods 
  of 
  Melittohia 
  nurtured 
  by 
  Monodontomerus, 
  and 
  six 
  

   which 
  have 
  fed 
  or 
  are 
  still 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  bee.* 
  

  

  These 
  circumstances 
  taken 
  into 
  consideration, 
  a 
  question 
  natu- 
  

   rally 
  arises, 
  is 
  Melittohia 
  the 
  true 
  parasite 
  of 
  the 
  bee, 
  or 
  is 
  it 
  the 
  

   parasite 
  of 
  the 
  parasite 
  of 
  Anthoj)hora 
  ? 
  Monodontomerus 
  being 
  

   truly 
  the 
  bee-parasite! 
  my 
  observations 
  would 
  induce 
  me 
  to 
  believe 
  

   the 
  latter. 
  We 
  must, 
  however, 
  bear 
  in 
  mind, 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  I 
  

   am 
  communicating 
  are 
  upon 
  insects 
  placed 
  in 
  an 
  artificial 
  position, 
  

   and 
  it 
  still 
  requires 
  more 
  direct 
  observation 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  na- 
  

   tural 
  situations, 
  before 
  we 
  can 
  decide 
  the 
  question. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  

   appear 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Newport 
  ever 
  found 
  them 
  feeding 
  upon 
  the 
  bee- 
  

   larvae 
  ; 
  and, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  shown 
  above, 
  I 
  detected 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  cell 
  of 
  

   Monodontomerus 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  position. 
  On 
  a 
  future 
  occasion 
  

   I 
  hope 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  laying 
  before 
  the 
  Society 
  the 
  results 
  

   of 
  the 
  various 
  operations 
  now 
  in 
  progress 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  may 
  con- 
  

   fidently 
  expect 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  parasites, 
  I 
  shall 
  not 
  

   fail 
  to 
  avail 
  myself 
  of 
  the 
  opportunity 
  for 
  further 
  observations. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  paper 
  alluded 
  to 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Melittohia 
  are 
  described, 
  

   but 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  these 
  really 
  constitute 
  but 
  one 
  ; 
  the 
  characters 
  

   of 
  the 
  first, 
  " 
  retusa" 
  both 
  generic 
  and 
  specific, 
  having 
  been 
  laid 
  

   down 
  from 
  drawings 
  and 
  other 
  memoranda, 
  made 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when, 
  

   to 
  use 
  Mr. 
  Newport's 
  own 
  words, 
  he 
  " 
  took 
  little 
  heed 
  of 
  them 
  ;" 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  process 
  of 
  depositing 
  is 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  some 
  weeks. 
  ■ 
  The 
  cell 
  now 
  ex- 
  

   hibited 
  to 
  the 
  Society 
  contains 
  six 
  females 
  and 
  one 
  male 
  ; 
  they 
  have 
  now 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  during 
  forly-two 
  days 
  their 
  deposit 
  of 
  eggs 
  ; 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  full 
  fed, 
  

   but 
  others 
  are 
  so 
  minute 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  difficult 
  to 
  decide 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   egg 
  or 
  larva 
  state. 
  

  

  