THE BURNET ICHNEUMON. i6i 



among the pensiles. This is the pretty little ichneumon which 

 is known to entomologists as Microgasfer alvearius. The name 

 Microgaster is of Greek origin and signifies * little belly,' this 

 being a very appropriate name for this insect, whose abdomen 

 is of very small dimensions, and indeed appears to be just a 

 little supplementary growth which might be removed without 

 causing any inconvenience to the insect. It belongs to the same 

 genus as a very common insect called Microgaster glomeratus, 

 which will be duly described when the parasitic animals are 

 under consideration. 



With regard to this insect, I have been rather fortunate, 

 having found many specimens of the nests, and bred from them 

 several hundred insects. 



Although plentiful enough in certain places, the Burnet 

 Ichneumon, as I shall venture to call this species, is very local, 

 and while abounding in one place may never be seen in another 

 spot at the distance of a very few hundred yards. I give it the 

 popular name of Burnet Ichneumon, for the same reason — com- 

 paring great things with small — that Caius Martins bore the 

 title of Coriolanus and Publius Cornelius Scipio was termed 

 Africanus — namely, that it destroys so many Burnet Moths. 



In its perfect state the Ichneumon looks like a rather small 

 gnat, and would probably be mistaken for that insect by a non- 

 entomological observer. When examined through an ordinary 

 magnifying glass, it is seen to possess a wondrous beauty which 

 no one could ever suspect when looking at it with the unaided 

 eye. The body and head are of a pale yellow colour, except 

 the prominent compound eyes, which are dark blackish brown. 

 The head is round and rather small, but the thorax is of 

 enormous size, quite as proportionately large as the chest of a 

 man would be did it project some eighteen inches in front and 

 reach to his heels. 



In singular contrast to the huge thorax is the very tiny abdo- 

 men, which is of a retort shape, curved, and fixed in the upper 

 surface of the thorax by its smaller end. Indeed, the abdomen 

 bears the same relation to the thorax, that the 'tick' in the 

 capital letter Q does to the whole of the letter. The limbs are 



M 



