1-114 The Zoologist — October, 1808. 



De Geer, in his 'Memoires pour servir a I'flistoire des Inscctes,' 

 gives a description of Nematus septentrioualis, Linn.,* the imago of 

 which has the hinder legs broad and flattened in the same manner as 

 in this species, and at the end of his description he states that he has 

 reared a similar imago from an entirely green larva having only some 

 black dots at the side of the body, and which merely differed from the 

 former in the females having red-brown femora the same as the males. 

 De Geer added, "Perhaps nothing more than a variety of the former, 

 but also possibly a distinct species, although the difference is nearly 

 imperceptible." 



I lake the insect reared by the Swedish naturalist to be Nematus 

 varus, more especially from the description of the larva, however im- 

 perfect that may be. I am strengthened in this opinion by the 

 following observations of Ratzeburg (luc. cit.): — "Linne (Fauna Suee. 

 10, 1558) hatte unzweifelhaft die achte T. septentrionalis, jedoch nur 

 $ , vox sich. De Geer's (1. 1. ii. p. 264) Erziehungsresultate stimmen 

 mit den meinigen iiberein, denn er beschreibt nur die <?, wie Hr. 

 Hartig und sagt von dem $,alle Hiiftbeine (worunter er die Schenkel 

 versteht) seien sclnvartz. Aus andern ganz giiinen Erlenafterraupen, 

 nur mit einigen schwarzen Punklen an den Seiten des kbrpers, erhielt 

 De Geer dergleichen Blattwespen mit langen und breilen Hinter- 

 fiissen, nur batten die 9 eben so rothbraune Hiiften, wie die $. 

 Sicher war diese Blaltwespe dieselbe, welche Hr. Graff erzog und die, 

 nach den von mir auf dem Berl. Museum verglichenen Stiicken zu 

 urtheilen, zu Nematus varus Villaret gehbren wiirde." 



The result of my observations of this species may be stated as 

 follows : — 



At the end of the summer (August and September) I often found 

 solitary green sawfly larva: feeding on the alder: these larvae had no 

 other ornamentation than some black dots on the sides and the legs. 

 A similar larva was once sent to me by my friend Wttewaall in the 

 month of July, from which it appeared to me that there must be more 

 than one brood in the year. Most of mine went into the earth as 

 larvae, a few spun up: only two imagos appeared from the cocoon. It 

 was thus apparent that this species was difficult to rear. 1 have not 

 seen the egg, and am not aware whether it is deposited in the petiole or 

 the nervures of the leaf. I also did not see any very young larvae ; but 



* Described iu vol. ii. of the ' Transactions of the Netherlaiul Entomological 

 Society,' and at p. 8175 of the ' Zoologist.' 



