ENTOMOLOGICAL CABINET. 



MUTILLA EUROPE A. LinnL 

 Male and Female. 



Black : head of a moderate size, the eyes small : 

 antenna? filiform, short and slightly curved : seutel- 

 lum and thorax red : on the upper side, of a brick - 

 red ; wings in the male of a smoky colour : body of a 

 bluish tinge, deeply punctured and covered with long 

 black hair, and with bands of short yellow hair on 

 the margins of the first three segments : legs black : 

 the females in colour resemble the males, but want 

 the wings and ocelli. 



Length of the male 6, of the female 7 lines. 



Inhabit chalky and sandy places in June and July. 



Mr. Curtis has observed, " Although the Mutil- 

 lidce bear considerable resemblance to the Formicadce 

 their economy is totally different — the latter living in 

 societies exhibiting males, females and neuters, 

 which last only are apterous ; the former being soli- 

 tary, having no neuters, the males only being furnished 

 with wings." It is unnecessary to go any further into 

 the differences of the two families. The female Mu- 

 tillce want the stemmata or little eyes upon the crown 

 of the head, as well as the wings with which the 

 males are furnished, and the eyes and thorax are 

 very differently formed. J urine has justly observed, 

 " What is the object of Nature in establishing such 

 disparities, and where is the utility of it ? These are 

 problems that we cannot resolve, because of our 

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