KNOWLEDGE OF THE BRITISH BRACONID^. 75 



attachment being at once made secure by the addition of a few 

 twists of silk, after which the head is drawn away leaving the 

 larva suspended by its anal extremity ; the formation of the 

 cocoon is then commenced. Some two hours are occupied by 

 the larva in covering itself with the cocoon, but for many hours 

 afterwards it may be seen hard at work spinning within. 



In all the cases observed by me the parasite larva emerged 

 from the side of the seventh or eighth segment of the host, I 

 believe, through a spiracle. 



As I mentioned before, I know of no instance of a Meteorid 

 hibernating in the perfect state, but with several species the 

 winter is passed within the body of the host, either as an ovum or 

 young larva, and with a few others as a larva within the cocoon. 

 My experience is that pupation does not take place until within 

 a fortnight or so of the emergence of the imago, no matter how 

 long a period may be spent within the cocoon. On emerging, the 

 imago removes a neat cap from one end of its cocoon (fig. 6) ; 

 with those species which construct fusiform cocoons the cap is 

 always removed from the smaller end. 



In the following notes, unless otherwise stated, the records 

 are my own, and the insects mentioned have been captured or 

 bred in the New Forest. 



Meteorus albiditarsis (Curtis).* (Fig. 1.) — This, the largest 

 species we have, may easily be distinguished from all other 

 British Meteoridae by having the radial areolet of the under 

 wing divided by a distinct transverse nervure. It seems 

 to be generally distributed and is fairly common in May and 

 June; on those dull cold days which are, as a rule, only too 

 frequent in the late spring, it may often be beaten from 

 thorn bushes. 



A solitary parasite of the larvse of Noctuse, the parasite larva 

 emerging from the host when the latter is about to pupate in its 

 subterranean earthern cocoon, within which the cocoon of the 

 parasite is constructed. Marshall well describes this cocoon as 

 "felted stramineous with some loose flocculence"; it consists of 

 three layers, outside the "loose flocculence," which easily comes 

 away when the cocoon is handled, then the cocoon proper, which 

 is rather similar in colour and texture to that of the "silkworm" 

 of commerce, and within this a thin transparent, brownish 

 envelope of a material much resembling goldbeater's skin. On 

 October 1st, 1913, I exhibited at a meeting of the Entomological 

 Society of London a skein of silk wound from two of these 

 cocoons (fig. 7). 



At least a period of ten months appears to be spent in the 

 larva state, in which condition the winter is passed within the 

 cocoon. I believe that sometimes even a second winter is so 



* ' British Entomology,' pi. ccccxv. 



G 2 



