95 



Where the entomologist may have a chance of meeting 

 with these curious insects in their imago state (except, hke 

 myself, he seizes the fortunate moment when they are just 

 ready to leave the body of the animal that supports them) is 

 a question which I wish it were in my power to answer satis- 

 factorily. We must first ask, In what state of the Melitta 

 does it commit its eggs to it ? If in the larva the ha- 

 bitation of this is usually at some depth under ground; and 

 perhaps by digging where we observe them flying about a 

 bank, and entering their burrows, we might possibly meet 

 with some. If in the imago (but it seems not easy to 

 conceive that the Stylops with its soft abdomen, furnished 

 with no strong aculeus or oviduct, can perforate the scaly 

 mail of the Melitta to deposit its eggs, without indeed it 

 insinuates them at the inosculations of the abdominal seg- 

 ments) — in this case most probably it goes to work when 

 the Melitta reposes, and may be a night-flyer; but it 

 would not be very easy to see so minute a creature in the 

 night. Perhaps a butterfly-net might be used with success 

 about banks where we observe many burrows of insects. 



Ols. The Pupae Mr. Sowerby has figured appear to be 

 ovate, where as mine were linear. See Jig. 2, and Monogr. 

 Ap. Angl. v.\. t. 14. w. 11./. 7. 



Explanation of the Plate. 



Fig. 1 . Male of Melitta albicans with a pair of the Pupae 

 of Stylops Melittce in its Abdomen. 



2. Abdomen of ditto magnified. 



3. Stylops Melittce natural size. 



4. Ditto magnified, a a Eyes. I Scutellum. 



5. Head of ditto as seen under a powerful magnifier. 



a a lower branch of the Antennse. h h upper 

 ditto, c c exterior Feeler, d d interior ditto. 



6. Part of the Trunk, a Thorax, h h Elytra. 



7. Underside of the Abdomen and Processes, a Ab- 



domen, h b Processes. 



W. KiRBY. 



