122 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the emergence of the parasite hirva from its host and the 

 appearance of the imago, at any rate in the spring brood. 



Bred by me from larvae of Triphcena {Agrotis) fimbria, April 

 29th, 1909, April 23rd, 1912, and other dates; Agrotis {Lyco- 

 photia) strigula, April 13th, 1911 ; Noctua (Segetia) xantho- 

 grapha, April 20th, 1911, April 11th, 1911, and other dates; 

 Triphcena [Agrotis) pronuba, April 7th, 1911, April 13th, 1912; 

 and from a cocoon beaten from oak, June 16th. 1911. 



More than one writer has mentioned that a permanently 

 testaceous variety exists of some species of Meteorus, and after 

 examining several specimens, and comparing them with the 

 original description, I have come to the conclusion that 

 M. unicolor (Wesm.) is merely a testaceous variety of 

 M. scutellator.* 



M. versicolor (Wesm.). — Considerable confusion seems to 

 have arisen concerning this species. Wesmael mentions having 

 bred it gregariously at Charleroy, from a larva of Bombyx 

 cassinea (Fab.), the cocoons being brown, and connected by a few 

 threads of silk ; he also states that the terebra is equal in length 

 to the abdomen. In the specimens since recorded, the length of 

 the terebra is given as only half the abdomen, so that even allow- 

 ing for the fact that Wesmael sometimes rather exaggerated 

 the length of this organ, one can hardly suppose that he would 

 double it. Again, all recent specimens are mentioned as being 

 solitary parasites making pendulous cocoons. 



It would therefore seem possible that we are wrong in 

 referring the insects mentioned below to M. versicolor, as I am 

 convinced we should be wrong in so referring the light forms 

 mentioned by Marshall (var. bimaculatiis). 



On May 7th, 1912, I bred an example of Marshall's var. 

 j3 from a cocoon which fell into my tray while beating young 

 birch-trees for larvae of Geometra papilionaria . Bignell records 

 the breeding of a similar specimen from a larva of G. papilio- 

 naria, June 7th, 1883. 



The cocoon is pendulous, shining, and much darker than 

 that of any other Meteorus with which I am acquainted. 



M. bimaculatiis (Wesm.). — Although Marshall considered this 

 to be merely a variety of M. versicolor, I feel sure, after referring 

 to the original descriptions and examining a large number of 

 specimens, that it is a distinct species. M. bimaculatus has the 

 wings somewhat infumated, especially in the male, and the base 

 of the petiole and first abdominal segment are never white, 

 though the former is pale. In Wesraael's description of the 

 female, the two dark spots on the first abdominal segment are 

 mentioned as being triangular and elongate ; it would perhaps 



* Since writing the above I have been much interested to find that 

 Thomson advanced this view; see ' Opuscula Entomologica.' ii. p. 112. 



