SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 



231 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Ichneumons veksus Apanteles. — On September 15th I found on 

 a fence at Putnej^ a larva (still alive) of Pieris brassicae, out of which 

 the larvaB of the Braconid parasite Apanteles glomeratus had just 

 emerged and formed their cluster of yellow cocoons, so abundant 

 everywhere this year. I noticed two or three small Hymenopterous 

 insects hovering over and settling on the cocoons,. one of which I bottled 

 — it proves to be a J of the Ichneumon Heiiriteles fidvipes Grav. The 

 caterpillar and cocoons were taken home and placed in a glass-topped 

 box, and on October 8th Ichneumons began to appear, and continued 

 to do so up to October 17th ; some 80 specimens in all having hatched 

 out. Of these 28 are Hemiteles f ulvijj en Gra.Y., $$ and ? ? , and 2 

 are Panan/yrops pellucidator Grav., ^ and 2 , another species of 

 Ichneumon. 



Morley [Brit. Ichs. 2, 123 (1907)] gives a number of hosts for the 

 Hewiteles, mentioning that Marshall bred it from Apanteles ijlotneratus 

 upon Pieris brassicae. He further writes—" Ratzeburg supposed the 

 Hemiteles to oviposit in the larvffi of the ApaiUeles during the few hours 

 they lie exposed, between emerging from their host and spinning their 

 own cocoon ; but Brischke says that he took at the beginning of 

 August, 1871, a J tJ. fidvipes, running busily among a mass of 

 Microgaster glomeratus cocoons beneath a rose leaf ; on the following 

 day the female was dead, and in less than three weeks one J and 29 

 ? ? of i:^. fidvipes emerged from the cocoons. Though the Hemiteles 

 tiaemselves are hyperparasitic, they in their turn are destroyed by twO' 

 species of Chalcids, Entedon vinulae and Pteromalas boucheanns, to such 

 an extent .that Tischbein observed that although all the Microgasters 

 of a brood were destroyed, all the Hemiteles except only one shared the 

 same fate at the hands of the Chalcids." 



It was fortunate observing the hyperparasites when they were no 

 doubt ovipositing, and in my case the Hemiteles must have sought out 

 the Pieris larva just after the Braconid larvge had emerged and formed 

 their cocoons, when the latter would be soft. 



Of the other species, Panargyrops pellucidator Grav., Morley {l.c^. 

 105) does not give any hosts, but of- the species mentioned just 

 before it, P. aereus Grav., he says, according to Brischke, it is always 

 hyperparasitic, upon Pieris brassicae, etc. Most probably one of the 

 other Ichneumons I observed hovering over the Apanteles cocoons was 

 a ? of the Panargyrops pellucidator. I must thank Mr. Morley for 

 naming these Ichneumons. — Horace Donisthorpe. 



Attitudes of Wasps and Psocids in copulation. — On September 

 23rd, about eleven o'clock in the morning, I observed a pair of wasps 

 [Vespa vulgaris) in cop. at Putney. It was in a road near my house, 

 and my attention was first drawn to them by one of my Pekinese, 

 which was evidently interested in something on the pavement. The 

 ^ was on the back of the ? , and at times was dragged along on his 

 back behind her. They were unable to fly properly, only fluttering a 

 short distance and walking. When at rest the ^ 's body was seen to 

 be in regular motion. I twice endeavoured to box them, and eventually 

 they separated and flew off in different directions. It seems advisable 

 to publish this observation, as I am unable to find any reference to the 

 copulation of wasps in any books I have, or have been able to consult. 

 On October 14th I noticed a pair of Psocids [Atropos divintria) in cop. 



