206 Mr. A. Murray on the History of 
because in the allied genera Meloé and Sitaris the larva has 
been ascertained to go through some extraordinary evolutions ` 
in its earlier stages, and at first to appear in a very different 
form from that which it ultimately assumes. 
According to M. Fabre, the only naturalist who has yet ob- 
served these changes in Sitaris, its life-history has eleven 
events :— 
1. The egg is laid in the galleries of the Anth 
2. A little larva is hatched with six satel: lere; "which 
remains in its bese without food or change of size from 
October to Apr 
3. In AM it eresie active and attaches itself to the 
males of Anthophora when they emerge from their cells, which 
they do before the fasiken: 
4. From the male it passes to the female Anthophora. 
5. From the female it passes to its egg, on which it springs 
as the female lays it on the surface of the pu on which it 
was to feed, where it sits as on a ra 
e surface of the honey, mouth below, Pa above. 
8. After the honey in the cell is done, it changes its skin 
and passes into something under a corneous envelope like the 
pupa of a 
9. It moults again and once more resembles its second 
stage (I presume the grub-state; but as it is only said to re- 
semble it, not to revert to it, there may be some difference in- 
tended : nothing is said as to its food or feine in this stage). 
en passes into the ordinary pupa-state. 
11th, aa lastly. It becomes the perfect insect * 
Without giving absolute faith to all these changes, there is 
obviously something sufficiently mysterious in the early life of 
all these creatures to require great care in our observations, 
and that we should mention every E that strikes 
us, whether we are certain of its oo 
eeping this in view, I speak with extreme caution and, 
even, doubt of the egg and the earlier stage of the Rhipipho- 
rus. What I observed was this :— 
In examining the closed cells of a Lac of Rhi psc 
comb; I found the easiest way of opening them xob guia 
view of their interior was by tearing out the fidis ond yg" 
* See account of M. Fabre's writings in Brig nied IE Review; 
1862, p. 129, from which I have taken my informa 
ae 
