76 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



passed, for a cocoon which was spun in June, 1912, was found to 

 still contain the larva, living and unchanged, in September, 1913. 



The female somewhat resembles Zele testaceator (Curtis), with 

 which species it has frequently been confused in collections ; in 

 Zele, however, the recurrent nervure is very widely rejected, and 

 the abdomen does not possess a true petiole, as in Meteorus. 



I have bred it from a cocoon dug up at roots of an oak tree, 

 April 14th, 1904, from larva of Tceniocampa miniosa, May 11th, 

 1913, and also from larvas of T. gracilis, T. pidverulenta, 

 T. stahilis, and Panolis piniperda. 



M. chrysopthalmus (Nees).* — I possess a male, beaten from 

 birch. May 5th, 1912, which I must refer to this species, as the 

 costal cell is slightly longer than the median. Very similar to 

 the next, though the females differ in the length of the terebra. 



M. deceptor (Wesm.).t — Generally bred from larvse of 

 Geometrae, a solitary parasite. The cocoon is white, felted, 

 fusiform and without loose fiocculence; it is found within that of 

 its host, which is usually underground, 9|^mm. in length (fig. 10). 

 I have obtained this parasite from larvas of Gonodontis hidentata 

 and Semiothisa liturata in May. Single brooded, the winter 

 being passed in the larva state within the cocoon. 



In Morley's collection is a pair bred by Clutten at Burnley, 

 from larvse of a geometer; in this case the male is testaceous 

 and not nigropiceous. 



M.ictericus (Nees). — Marshall considered this to be "perhaps 

 the commonest British species." Although fairly plentiful, there 

 are certainly others that are far more so, at any rate, in the 

 New Forest. 



It would seem that Curtis, Halliday, and other writers con- 

 fused this species with M. pulchricornis, and even Marshall 

 cannot have seen the cocoon, for he assumes Curtis's figure to 

 be correct, and describes it as " pensile, yellowish brown, shining, 

 and semi-transparent." Bignell, however, is correct in saying 

 that it is "white and very thin," and so early as 1834 Bouch6 I 

 described the cocoon as " albus chartaceus " and not pensile. 

 All that I have seen agree with the descriptions of Bignell and 

 Bouche, being cylindrical, not fusiform, and constructed within 

 rolled leaves. The transformations of the insect are visible 

 through the cocoon (fig. 8). 



Generally bred from larvae of Tortrices, a solitary parasite. 

 I have obtained it from a cocoon found on oak, June 6th, 1910 

 (New Forest), and also from larvse of either Sericoris fahricana 

 or S. lacunana taken at Burgess Hill, Sussex, May, 1911. In 

 Morley's collection is a female bred by E. Adkin, October 12th, 

 1910, from a larva of Tortrix proimhana, and two males bred by 



* Nees-ab-Esenbech. Hym. Ich. Affinium Mon. vol. i. 1834. 



\ Wesmael, Nouv. Mem. Ac. Brux. 1835. \ Naturgesch. d. Ins. 



