354 ICHNEUMON MANIFESTATOR. 



After a few days we saw, from more than tbre*? 

 fourths of them, about eight or ten little caterpillars 

 of the Ichneumon fly come out of their backs, and 

 spin each a small coccoon of silk, and in a few days 

 the large caterpillars died." — The Ichneumons per- 

 formed singular service, in the years 1731 and 1732, 

 by multiplying in the same proportion as the cater- 

 pillars: their larva? destroyed infinitely more of 

 these voracious creatures than could possibly have 

 been done by all the efforts of human industry*. — 

 Aphides or Plant lice, and the larva? of various other 

 insects, are also made the nidus of the Ichneumon. 



The antenna? of the Ichneumon flies taper to- 

 wards their extremity, and consist of more than 

 thirty joints or articulations- The mouth is armed 

 with jaws, and has four unequal thread-shaped 

 feelers. At the extremity of the abdomen there is 

 a long sting, having, however, no pungent pro- 

 perty, inclosed in a cylindrical sheath composed of 

 two valves. 



ICHNEUMON MANIFESTATOR. 



The present species is about an inch in length 

 from the head to the extremity of the abdomen : 

 the tail measures near an inch and a half, and the 

 antenna? somewhat more than half an inch. The 

 body is black, and the legs are dusky. The abdo- 

 men is cylindrical and sessile, not being connected 



Bafbuf s Gen. Insect. 245, 



