﻿18 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  sent 
  was 
  the 
  shrivellecl 
  larva 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  Lepidupterous 
  insect, 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  that 
  of 
  Oinophila 
  v-flava. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  F. 
  Smith 
  read 
  the 
  following 
  note, 
  entitled 
  " 
  Observations 
  on 
  a 
  Paper 
  by 
  G. 
  

   Newport, 
  Esq., 
  F.R.S., 
  'On 
  the 
  Anatomy 
  and 
  Development 
  of 
  certain 
  Chalcididee 
  and 
  

   Ichneumonidas, 
  compared 
  with 
  their 
  special 
  Economy 
  and 
  Instincts; 
  with 
  Descrip- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  Genus 
  of 
  Bee-parasites,' 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society,' 
  

   vol. 
  xxi. 
  part 
  1." 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  Mr. 
  Newport's 
  excellent 
  and 
  highly 
  interesting 
  paper 
  on 
  bee-parasites, 
  just 
  

   published 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society,' 
  I 
  observe 
  some 
  remarks 
  on 
  a 
  

   communication 
  of 
  my 
  own 
  to 
  that 
  Society 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  anxious 
  to 
  correct 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   inaccuracies. 
  The 
  first 
  is 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  capture 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  communication 
  referred 
  to. 
  

   I 
  stated 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1848, 
  it 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  1847, 
  as 
  I 
  learn 
  by 
  the 
  

   date 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Newport's 
  paper 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  proved 
  by 
  a 
  reference 
  to 
  my 
  letter, 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  

   stated 
  that 
  T 
  had 
  placed 
  specimens 
  of 
  Monodontomerus 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Walker, 
  

   for 
  description, 
  previously 
  to 
  having 
  ascertained 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Newport's 
  insects 
  were 
  de- 
  

   veloped, 
  although 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  we 
  bad 
  compared 
  notes 
  respecting 
  the 
  progress 
  

   of 
  each 
  of 
  our 
  captures. 
  

  

  " 
  Two 
  localities 
  are 
  also 
  established 
  for 
  the 
  parasites, 
  — 
  Charlton 
  and 
  Gravesend, 
  — 
  

   since 
  it 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  former 
  where 
  I 
  obtained 
  my 
  larva 
  of 
  Anthophora, 
  not 
  at 
  Graves- 
  

   end, 
  as 
  stated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Newport, 
  although 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  latter 
  loca- 
  

   lity 
  for 
  fourteen 
  or 
  fifteen 
  years, 
  and 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  making 
  it 
  known 
  to 
  Mr. 
  

   Newport. 
  

  

  " 
  On 
  reading 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society, 
  March 
  20, 
  1849, 
  I 
  

   found 
  it 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  Monodontomerus 
  were 
  pollinivorous 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  I 
  

   took 
  into 
  consideration 
  Mr. 
  Newport's 
  undoubtedly 
  correct 
  view, 
  that 
  ' 
  structure, 
  when 
  

   carefully 
  and 
  accurately 
  investigated, 
  is 
  an 
  infallible 
  index 
  to 
  function 
  and 
  habit 
  : 
  ' 
  

   and 
  also, 
  that 
  the 
  very 
  announcement 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  discovery 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  insect 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  fiimily 
  Chalcididae 
  being 
  a 
  feeder 
  on 
  pollen, 
  was 
  contrary 
  to 
  all 
  hitherto 
  re- 
  

   corded 
  observation, 
  I 
  naturally 
  concluded 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  importance, 
  

   and 
  took 
  the 
  first 
  opportunity 
  of 
  recording 
  my 
  own 
  observations, 
  which 
  proved 
  that 
  

   Monodontomerus 
  was, 
  like 
  its 
  congeners, 
  carnivorous 
  ; 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  me 
  

   calculated 
  to 
  invalidate 
  the 
  author's 
  own 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  necessary 
  connexion 
  between 
  

   structure 
  and 
  habit. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  find 
  at 
  p. 
  67 
  of 
  the 
  'Transactions' 
  the 
  following 
  remarks: 
  — 
  'It 
  was 
  a 
  question 
  

   with 
  me 
  whether 
  the 
  bee-larva 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  other 
  larva 
  piercing 
  it, 
  and 
  

   abstracting 
  all 
  its 
  fluids 
  from 
  without? 
  This 
  query 
  then 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  answered 
  by 
  

   the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  parasites 
  was 
  disproportioned 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   victim, 
  which, 
  had 
  it 
  served 
  for 
  food 
  for 
  them, 
  would 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  have 
  been 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  consumed 
  ;' 
  ' 
  instead 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  contained 
  the 
  dried-up 
  ligament 
  and 
  head 
  of 
  

   the 
  young 
  bee, 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  starved.' 
  This 
  being 
  quite 
  at 
  variance 
  

   with 
  my 
  own 
  recorded 
  observations, 
  I 
  would 
  beg 
  to 
  recall 
  to 
  mind 
  the 
  circumstance 
  

   that 
  I 
  observed 
  the 
  parasitic 
  larvaj 
  feeding 
  upon 
  the 
  pupa, 
  and 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  the 
  

   bee, 
  which 
  they 
  continued 
  to 
  do 
  until 
  not 
  a 
  vestige 
  of 
  it 
  remained; 
  all 
  that 
  the 
  cell 
  

   contained, 
  besides 
  the 
  parasitic 
  larva, 
  being 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  yellow 
  dust, 
  or 
  small 
  

   granules 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  curious 
  and 
  interesting 
  fact, 
  if 
  supported 
  by 
  further 
  research, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  result 
  from 
  our 
  combined 
  observations 
  ; 
  namely, 
  that 
  these 
  parasites 
  prey 
  

   indifferently 
  upon 
  either 
  the 
  larva 
  or 
  the 
  pupa 
  of 
  the 
  bee 
  : 
  and 
  as 
  no 
  similar 
  instance 
  

  

  