26 BULLETIN 45, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



cbaraeters in common, their nearest allies being the I'roctotrypiui and 

 the Belytini. 



Prof. Westwood's contribution, mentioned above, is a most valuable 

 one, in which some new genera and many new species are described 

 and illustrated. It is of especial value for clearinj; up many obscure 

 points in the old, imperfectly described genera, for the very full diag- 

 noses of all the genera in the Bethylmai known to him, and for the ad- 

 mirable illustrations of the mouth parts and other, salient chara<'ters. 



Other Euroi)ean contributors to a knowh dgc of the family are 

 Walker, Mayr, Kuthe, Cameron, Marshall, Mik, Giard, ett;. 



In America no systematic study of the family has been before at- 

 tempted. 



The American writers on the family, besides myself, are Say, Ilalde- 

 man, Cresson, Patton, Packard, l'ri)vancher, Howard, Riley, and 

 Forbes, and, excepting an admirable translatiiui of Forster's tables by 

 Mr. L. O. Howard, the work thus far done lias been i)urely descriptive, 

 coulined to isolated descriptions of genera or species. These will be 

 fouuil recorded in their prt)per place in this work and require no si)ecial 

 mention here. . 



Forster separated the Proctotrupii into eleven families. In the pres- 

 ent work, ten of these are recognize*! as subfamilies. His family 

 Mymaroidfe { = Mymnri(}(v Ualidaj^) I have not included, as I believe 

 with Haliday, who lirst proposed the name, that it is a group entirely 

 distinct from this family, more closely allied to the Chalcidida' than to 

 the Proctotryi)idje and entitled to rank with other families of the 

 Hymenoptera Terebrantia. 



In the arrangement of the ten subfamilies or natural groups recog- 

 nized in this family I have attempted to show their true relationship, 

 and, although full diagnoses of them are given in their proper place in 

 the body of the work, I believe the following table will be found ail 

 that is necessary to facilitate their recognition : 



TABLE OF SUBFAMILIES, 



Wingli'ss forms 6 



Winged. 



Posterior wings not lobed 2 



Posterior wings lobe.d; anterior winu;8 with 1 or 2 basal cells. 



Head oblong; auteuna; inserted at the clypcus, 12- or 13-jointed in botb sexes. 



Snbfani. I, HETiiYLiNiE. 

 Head not oblong. 



Head globose; front wings with a lanceolate stigma; anterior feet never 

 ^ - ' chelate; nntennie in 5 L3-jointed, in ^ 10-jointed. 



Snbfam. II, Embolemin^. 

 Hea«l transverse; front wings \'snally with a large or semicircular stigma; 

 anterior feet often cheJ itti; antenn:i^ 10-jointed in both sexes. 



Snbfam. Ill, DuvmiN.E. 



2. Antenn.'e inserted on the middle of the face, often on a frontal prominence 4 



AutenniB inserted at tho clyiM-us. 



Abdomen acute or margined at the sides, sessile or snbpetiolate 3 



