66 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May, 



is known to be protectively colored like the majority of defence- 

 less insects. ' ' Reading this I at once called to mind the numerous 

 dull-colored species ofAndrena, Halidus, etc. , and the brilliantly- 

 colored, non-aculeate Chrysididae and Chalcididae, so that it 

 seemed to me that in this case, at any rate, ' ' warning coloration' ' 

 was not self-evident, so I submitted the point to Dr. Wallace, 

 himself, who replied: 



' ' Though the Andrenidae are not usually gayly colored, yet 

 they are not inconspicuous. The Chrysididae are, I should think, 

 colored so brilliantly partly, perhaps, to simulate stinging species, 

 and partly to prevent their being taken for fruits or seeds when 

 rolled up. They are very hard, and like many hard beetles are 

 colored as a warning of inedibility .'' (A. R. Wallace inlitt. Feb. 

 ID, 1890) 



Here it would be interesting to learn whether the Chrysididae* 

 are eaten by insectivorous birds. A spider, Xysticus cristatus, 

 has been recorded as preying on Chrysis ignita in Lincolnshire, 

 England, by Mr. H. W. Kew. 



But to return to the aculeata, are they notable for warning 

 coloration ? To ascertain the exact state of the case from one who 

 has paid much attention to the subject. I applied to Mr. Ash- 

 mead and here is his reply: 



' ' The family Chalcididae is without doubt the most extensive 

 in the order, and taken as a whole the most brilliantly colored; 

 no other family, not even excepting the Chrysididae, can compare 

 with it in the metallic brilliancy of its members. " In my opinion, 

 when the species are thoroughly worked up, in this single family 

 alone, their members will more than double the species in all the 

 families of the Aculeata taken together, so numerous are they. 



" It is really only among the parasitic bees that we find much 

 brilliant metallic coloring, a few genera in Apidae and Andrenidae. 



' ' In Andrenidae only two genera, Angochlora and Agapostemon 

 are very brilliant, although some Halicii show some. 



* Although the Chrysididae are classed with the bees, etc., they are not aculeata. Mr. 

 Asbmead has kindly stated their systematic position to me as follows : " Although they 

 are certainly Hymenoptera monotrocha and belong to the section with the bees, strictly 

 speaking they can hardly be called true Aculeata, being, as Latreille observes, ' sur les 

 confins des deux sections,' and were formerly classed with the Terebrantia. I agree with 

 Westwood in considering them more closely allied to certain Proctotrupids, i.e., the Dry- 



ninse ane Bethylinse, than to the bees. If I had the time I could point out some very 



remarkable structural similarities." (in litt. Feb. 5, 1890) 



