BORING TOOL OF THE SIREX. 



253 



ferent words, I transfer to these pages a short account of the 

 ovipositor of the Sirex, as examined by me when writing my 

 work on British Insects, entitled " Insects at Home," and pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Longmans and Co. : 



" I very strongly recommend any of my readers who may 

 obtain a female Sirex to disengage the actual borer from its 

 two-bladed sheath, and examine it with the aid of a microscope. 

 A half-inch object-glass will give quite a sufficient power. 



tESTUUS. 

 BORISG TOOL OP SIEBX AND LAKVA. 



BRADAWLS. 



" It is straight, stiff, and elastic, as if made of steel, and, if 

 bent, will spring back to its proper form with the elasticity of 

 a Toledo rapier. 



"But the borer possesses an auxiliary cutting apparatus 

 which places it far above the rymer in point of efficacy. Even 

 with an ordinary magnifying lens, it is easy to see that the end 

 of the borer is developed into a sharp head, very much 

 resembling that of a boarding-pike, and that the outline of the 

 shaft is broken into a series of notches. 



" The half- inch glass, however, discloses a marvellous 

 example of mechanical excellence. The head of the borer is 

 then seen to be armed with long, sharp teeth, slightly curved 

 inwards, and acting just as does the carpenter's ordinary centre- 

 bit. 



" So much for the head of the borer : we will now turn to 

 the shaft. 



