54 
firmly that it may not sometimes be rubbed off by the wandering 
host—gluing it for its length transversely on a certain portion 
(varying with the species) of the venter, more rarely on the dor- 
sum.* The Scolia grub then, secure on its motionless victim, 
transforms in its birth place, but the young Tiphia may be treated 
to a more or less perilous ride underground, surviving which, it 
spins up where its victim perishes. 
In order to escape from the cocoon, the wasps of the genus 
Scolia, at least in part, neatly cut off the top of the cocoon; 
Tiphia on the other hand, gnaws a somewhat irregular hole near 
or at the head end of its prison. 
The Scolidae of the Philippines are represented by numerous 
species, some of them giants in size. Many are forest insects, 
some appear partial to “bamboo groves, while others prefer the 
open lowlands. 
The family is of decided economic importance, as the nature 
of the literature on these wasps clearly shows. 
The data which follow on this family are largely derived from 
notes and observations by Messrs. Osborn, Timberlake, Swezey 
and Muir. The identification of the 7iphia and the keys to their 
species is the work of Mr. P. H. Timberlake. The work of rear- 
ing and shipping the scoliid and other parasites was carried on 
under the direction of Mr. F. Muir, who was also responsible for 
the discovery as a desirable parasite, and the successful establish- 
ment of Scolia manilae in the Hawaiian Islands. 
Scolia manilae Ashmead. 
Length, 8-12 mm.; black and yellow. 
Scolia manilae (Figs. 21 and 22) was described by Ashmead in 
1904, from two specimens collected at Manila by Father W. A. 
Stanton. It is a rather plain, “untropical’ looking wasp. Its 
black color is variegated with some yellow spots and bands on the 
abdomen and with a rather thin covering of stiff white hair. The 
male is more slender than the female and has longer antennae. 
It is perhaps the smallest and one of the most abundant and 
widely distributed of the Philippine Scolia. It seems to be con- 
fined to the lowlands and therefore often found in cultivated 
areas where there is food in plenty both for itself and its young. 
I have taken it on Luzon I., at Manila and Los Bafios, and to 
the south on Cebu and Negros Is. It probably inhabits all islands 
of any size in the archipelago. 
*“In many cases, at least, the beetle grubs stung by Tiphia, while quite active, 
yet exhibit, when handled, a comparative muscular weakness in the thoracic region. 
