169 



It will be noticed from the above-quoted passage that wliile Harris 

 states positively that the larva", of tlie parasites destroy the larvne of the 

 Tremex he says nothing about the place where the parasitic egg is laid 

 and does not even hazard the supposition that the Tremex larva is 

 pierced by the ovipositor of the parasite. Later authors, however, have 

 loosely made this statement without evidence or authority. For instance, 

 Packard (Guide, etc., p. 19G) says : 



The geu'is Rhi/ssa contains our largest species and frequents the holes of boring in- 

 sects in the trunks of trees, inserting its remarkably long ovipositor in the body of 

 the larvae deeply imbedded in the trunk of the tree. 



Following this statement, or jiossibly some previous one which we 

 have not been able to place, the idea has been current that the wood- 

 boring larva is pierced by the ovipositor of the parasite. As late as 

 1886 Professor Comstock, in the Standard iSTatural History, II, p. 511, 

 says : 



And the females ( Rhyssa) are often found witLi their long ovipositors deeply sunken 

 luvO the trunks of such trees (infested with Sirex) in the act of laying their eggs in 

 the bodies of the wood-boring larvae. 



From the use of the generic name Sirex, Professor Comstock's state- 

 ment w^ould seem to be drawn from Euroj)ean sources, and this has led 

 us to make some search of European records for observation upon 

 allied species. 



Westwood (Introd., etc., II, 150) says : 



Some species, whose females are furnished with a very long ovipositor, are found 

 on the trunks of trees, stumps of wood, etc., evidently searching for the lignivorous 

 larva}, in which they deposit their eggs. 



Eatzeburg (Ichneumonen d. Forstins.) states that both Nordlinger 

 and himself reared BJiyssa persuasoria from Sirex spectrum, and he also 

 records R. ciirvipes as reared from X.iphidria camelus. He does not, 

 however give any details of his observations, nor does he state that the 

 parasite in ovipositing pierces the wood-boring grub. 



In spite, however, of the lack of definite observations on this point, 

 the idea was almost universally prevalent among entomologists up to 

 recent years that the parasite pierced the grub with her ovipositor and 

 deposited her egg in its body. 



In the December, 1882, number of the Canadian Entomologist, Mr. 

 Frederick Olarkson gave an account of observations upon this parasite 

 which were, upon the whole, very similar to those which we had i^re- 

 viously made. His article was called forth by a popular review of the 

 habits of atrata and lunator contributed to the May number of the same 

 journal by Mr. W. H. Harrington, in which the latter fell into the old 

 error of stating that the female Thalessa deposits her eggs in the larvae 

 of the Uroceridie and other wood-borers by means of her long ovipositor. 

 Mr, Clarkson stated in brief that his experience had demonstrated that 

 while it may be a fact that these insects deposit their eggs upon the 



