2!k; 



^crvtMl stingiuii it ;il)out the head, sometimes barely eseaping the 

 jaws of the larva. After much effort directed against the head, 

 she was seen stinging- it near the center of the mesosternum 

 an<l in the sntnre between the mesosternum and prosternnm 

 and worked her way along the sides of the segments to near the 

 anal extremity, apparently stinging wherever she secnred a 

 response to her prodding with the end of the abdomen. She 

 then returned to the head, prodding tentatively about the 

 iiionrh. then made a long sustained sting in the middle of the 

 pro-mesonotal suture and another perhaps at the anterior mar- 

 gin of the first tergite laterally. At the end of this operation 

 -he had difficulty in removing her sting and in the struggle to 

 extricate it, it was seen to be very elongate so as to penetrate 

 nearly or quite half through the larva. After this the larva 

 became quiescent and she began pinching the cuticle Avith her 

 nuindildes in feeding. 



Another female of this species which had been placed with 

 a nearly full fed larva of Prosoplus in a twig, had not para- 

 Ivzed it and this larva was removed from the twig and placed 

 Avith the Sclevodermus female. After some time she Avas 

 observed in conflict Avith it, attacking it near the middle of 

 its abdomen. The ProsopJiis lar\'a Avas strong and vigorous, 

 larger than the Neoclytarlus larva from Avhich the material 

 fi'oin Ewa Coral Plain has been bred and its skin is appar- 

 ently tougher. The struggles, contortions, twistings and ro- 

 tations of the Prosoplus larva did not once serve to dislodge 

 her. Grasjiing the cuticle of the edges of the sutures, she 

 was constantly endeavoring to sting, apparently Avithout much 

 choice of ]>osition. Occasionally she Avas able to deflect the 

 end of li(>r abdomen nearly vertically to the surface and held 

 this position, the rest of her body Avell curved round the body 

 of the Prosoplus. It Avas doubtless then that she did her 

 most successful stinging. In the struggles she worked her 

 Avay backAvard and forAvard above the body of the Prosoplus 

 and around and around, constantly stinging or attempting to 

 ^lo so. During the latter part of the combat she seemed to 



