﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOUUTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  303 
  

  

  The 
  punctures 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  ovipositor 
  of 
  the 
  parasite 
  turn 
  black 
  

   and 
  are 
  easily 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillar. 
  It 
  seems 
  possible 
  

   that 
  the 
  young 
  grubs 
  when 
  they 
  hatch 
  out 
  find 
  it 
  easier 
  to 
  get 
  to 
  the 
  

   juices 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  host 
  through 
  these 
  wounds 
  than 
  through 
  the 
  

   chitin 
  which 
  is 
  probably 
  too 
  hard 
  for 
  their 
  delicate 
  mandibles. 
  

  

  Ovipositiovi. 
  The 
  female 
  whether 
  fertilized 
  or 
  unfertilized 
  starts 
  

   laying 
  eggs 
  soon 
  after 
  emergence. 
  

  

  Eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  host. 
  Each 
  egg 
  is 
  

   laid 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  six 
  or 
  more. 
  They 
  are 
  usually 
  

   laid 
  on 
  the 
  ventral 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  

   but 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  on 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  abdomen, 
  thorax 
  and 
  

   head, 
  on 
  the 
  dorsal 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  ventral 
  side. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  noticed 
  that, 
  although 
  the 
  female 
  would 
  sting 
  a 
  caterpillar 
  

   in 
  whatever 
  stage 
  of 
  development 
  it 
  might 
  be, 
  yet 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  

   fullgrown 
  caterpillars 
  that 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   laid 
  on 
  caterpillars 
  which 
  had 
  started 
  spinning 
  the 
  cocoon, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  

   case 
  a 
  caterpillar 
  that 
  had 
  completed 
  its 
  cocoon 
  was 
  attacked 
  and 
  eggs 
  

   laid 
  on 
  it. 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  a 
  female. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   ascertain 
  no 
  one 
  in 
  India 
  has 
  recorded 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  a 
  

   female 
  Microbracon 
  and 
  what 
  we 
  do 
  know 
  is 
  only 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  (g) 
  

   that 
  the 
  largest 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  caterpillar 
  is 
  21. 
  This 
  

   number 
  has 
  sometimes 
  been 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  

   by 
  a 
  single 
  female. 
  The 
  highest 
  number 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  obtained 
  so 
  far 
  

   is 
  219 
  and 
  this 
  from 
  an 
  unfertilized 
  female. 
  (See 
  Table 
  1). 
  

  

  Description. 
  The 
  egg 
  is 
  elongated, 
  with 
  rounded 
  ends, 
  and 
  slightly 
  

   curved 
  in 
  the 
  middle. 
  Each 
  egg 
  is 
  1 
  mm. 
  in 
  length. 
  It 
  is 
  translucent 
  

   when 
  fresh, 
  but, 
  as 
  development 
  goes 
  on, 
  its 
  ends 
  become 
  hyaline. 
  In 
  

   about 
  24 
  hours 
  the 
  colour 
  changes 
  to 
  yellowish 
  and 
  the 
  grub 
  is 
  seen 
  

   moving 
  about. 
  The 
  grub 
  comes 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  after 
  about 
  24 
  to 
  26 
  

   hQurs." 
  (See 
  Table 
  2). 
  

  

  The 
  Grub. 
  A 
  freshly 
  hatched 
  grub 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  1 
  mm. 
  in 
  length. 
  

   It 
  is 
  of 
  cream 
  white 
  colour 
  with 
  the 
  yellowish 
  contents 
  of 
  its 
  intestine 
  

   seen 
  through 
  its 
  transparent 
  body 
  wall. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  very 
  large 
  as 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  to 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  bears 
  small 
  peg-shaped 
  antennae. 
  It 
  crawls 
  

   about 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  its 
  host 
  and 
  when 
  it 
  finds 
  a 
  suitable 
  place 
  it 
  begins 
  

   to 
  suck 
  in 
  the 
  juices 
  (of 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillar). 
  Generally 
  it 
  remains 
  

   fixed 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  it 
  started 
  sucking 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  full-fed. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  

   very 
  delicate 
  creature 
  and 
  once 
  dislodged 
  it 
  usually 
  does 
  not 
  survive, 
  

   and 
  possibly 
  is 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  hole 
  for 
  obtaining 
  food. 
  

  

  