412 INSECTS ABROAD. 



Iii all the Proctotrupidae fehe wings have either very few 

 nervures, or none at all. There is a very singular little insect 

 belonging to this group, Mymtvr pulchettus, in which the hind 

 pair of wings are reduced to two delicate hair-like projections, 

 and the fore-wings are shaped just like battledores — the ex- 

 panded portion being edged with hairs. The antennae of this 

 insect are of enormous length when compared with the body, 

 but all things are measured by comparison; and when it is 

 remembered that the insect, with its wings expanded, is scarcely 

 larger than the dot over the letter i, the word enormous seems 

 rather absurd. One species has been called by the specific name 

 of pundum, and another by that of atomos, in allusion to their 

 minute dimensions. 



All the Proctotrupidae are very small insects, some being so 

 tiny as to be scarcely visible, while the present species, which 

 is not the third of an inch in length, appears quite a giant 

 among them. There are many species in England, and when- 

 ever the entomologist employs the "sweep-net" he is sure to 

 find plenty of these tiny insects within it. 



Probably on account of their very minute size, little is known 

 of the habits of the Proctotrupiihe. As, however, those who 

 have been successfully watched are known to be parasitic, it 

 is inferred that all are of a similar nature. Several species are 

 known to deposit their eggs in those of other insects, especially 

 Lepidoptera: others live within the bodies of Aphides, and 

 others upon those mischievous little gnat-like insects which do 

 so much damage to the wheat, and are known by the scientific 

 name of Cecidomyia. 



Others capture small larvae and bury them as provision for 

 the future young; and tin's brings us to a peculiarity in the 

 structure of the female Gonatopus. Not only are all the legs 

 Long and powerful, but the tarsi of the first pair of legs are 

 armed with large double claws, aptly compared by Mr. West- 

 wood to the claws of a lobster. This structure is supposed to 

 be for the purpose of enabling the mother insect to capture 

 her prey and drag it to the cell where it is to lie. The word 

 Gonatopus is Greek, and literally signifies "jointed foot." The 

 ovipositor has a very close resemblance to a sting. 



