SAWFLIES 133 



Many persons, who have a fair knowledge 

 of the common insects, do not know the saw- 

 flies. In appearance they are not unlike two- 

 winged flies or bees. From the former they 

 can be distinguished by their having four 

 wings, and from the latter, by the lack of 

 a sting. The first seven species which I 

 propose to describe are true sawflies, and 

 belong to that section which is furnished 

 with a saw; the other two are sirices, and 

 belong to that which is furnished with a 

 borer. As already said, both saw and borer 

 are employed in making cavities for the 

 reception of eggs. I have figured female 

 specimens only, as those are most commonly 

 seen. All the figures are drawn larger than 

 life, with the exception of 6, 8, and 9, which 

 are less than life. The average length is 

 given in lines, or twelfth parts of an inch ; 

 but the sizes of individuals of the same 

 species are not at all uniform. Very few 

 sawflies have English names. 



A typical sawfly is Perineum solitaria 

 (Plate XII., Fig. 1). It is 3 lines in length, 

 shining black, with yellowish- white spots on 

 the thorax, and reddish bands on the abdomen. 



