7332 Insects. 



the female is by copulation of the sexes ; but is it not possible that 

 some other mode may exist? Every observation which has been 

 made on the genus Cynips is against the possibility of the existence 

 of an active male ; it is proved that females, which could not have 

 been fertilized by copulation, deposit eggs which are fruitful. 



Leon Dufour has reared Cynips by thousands from different species 

 of galls. Hartig has obtained twenty-eight species of Cynips, all 

 females, from different kinds of galls ; in one case, that of Cynips 

 divisa, at least 10,000 females, and about 4000 of Cynips Folii : he 

 has also observed the female Cynips issue from the gall, and imme- 

 diately proceed to deposit her eggs. In fact, all observation, as I 

 have already observed, is opposed to the existence of an active male 

 in the genus Cynips. I may also add that during the past autumn 

 T have bred numbers of Cynips Folii from the cherry-gall of the oak- 

 leaf, all being females. 



I do not profess to have made any notable discoveries during the 

 various investigations which I have prosecuted during the last three 

 years; all that I have done is to confirm the observations of others, 

 and to remove from my own mind an impression that there must have 

 been some mistaken observation on the part of those who arrived at 

 the conclusion that Cynips has no male ; but instead of discovering 

 any inaccuracy of observation, or anything to confirm the doubts I 

 had before making my experiments, 1 have ended by adopting the 

 opinion which I deemed so incredible. 



As far as I am aware, there appears to be an absolute necessity 

 for eggs being fertilized by some process or other, in order to per- 

 petuate the species. If this be the case, the question arises, — In 

 what way are the eggs of Cynips rendered fruitful ? in what manner 

 is this effected ? Can it be a possibility that spermatozoids are 

 engendered in the body of the female Cynips, and the eggs fertilized 

 before oviposition ? This will doubtless appear to be an extravagant, 

 nay even a wild theoretical idea; but if fertilization is necessary, then 

 it appears to me that it must be effected by some process with which, 

 in the insect world at least, I am not acquainted. If this be not the 

 case, still I must confess that I see at present, judging from the evi- 

 dence before me, no other conclusion at which I can arrive than that 

 Cynips has no male. 



In the course of my observations on the breeding of Cynips from 

 galls there appears to be established a fact with which I was not pre- 

 viously acquainted, namely, that Cynips has a cynipidous parasite, in 

 the same way that we find nest-building bees intruded upon by what 



