hetween Wasps and Rhipiphori. 93 



one cell, similar to tliose wliicli came under my notice ; 

 and the attachment of the one to the other is probably no- 

 thing more than what may be seen in every bottle of in- 

 sects sent home from abroad or collected at home : some of 

 the dying insects in their mortal agony have seized the 

 nearest object with their mandibles, and arrive with a leg 

 or some other part of their neighbour's body in their mouth, 

 still firmly clasped in the death grip, — that is, supposing that 

 the jaws of the one really are fastened in the body of the 

 other. It may be only a mutual adhesion by lesion of the 

 skin in the process of decay or drying up, I hope to see the 

 specimen in Mr. Smith's hands before this goes to press ; and 

 if I do, and it contains any information, I will mention it in 

 a postscript. 



P.S. Since writing the above, I have seen the specimen in 

 Mr. Smith's possession, and find it presenting almost exactly the 

 same appearance as the specimen which I have above alluded to 

 and which I have placed in the Collection of Economic Ento- 

 mology in South-Kensington Museum. There are no means 

 of saying whether the larvae are merely in juxtaposition or if 

 one has its jaws fastened on the other ; but both are well grown, 

 and except where they touch each other (where there is some 

 lesion) they are uninjured. I have no doubt it is a case of 

 double occupation of one cell, of tlie same nature as those de- 

 scribed by me, and that, if tlie lesion (which I attribute to 

 the pressure of the one upon the other) is not so great as to 

 have destroyed the parts, Mr. Smith, on separating them, 

 would find that they were not fastened to each other at all. 



I had also the pleasure of showing to Mr. Smith my speci- 

 mens of pupa3 Avith the cast skin still sticking to their tail ; 

 and I think he will no longer regard Mr. Stone's observation 

 of these cast skins as proof " of these creatures retaining the 

 skin and mandibles of their victims in their grasp," nor as 

 additional observed instances of the attack of the wasp-grub 

 by Rhi2np}iorus-\ax\2d. As I stated at the outset, these ob- 

 served instances are reduced, nominally, to two, but really 

 only to one, — one of the two being that above mentioned, 

 which I maintain is not an instance of attack at all, but of 

 double occupation of cell ; and the other, of actual devouring, 

 which I have endeavoured to account for, but which, Avhether 

 my explanation be the true one or not, is, I feel perfectly con- 

 vinced, not to be regarded as a genuine normal example of 

 the habits of the animal, but as arising from some error of 

 observation. 



