The Planters' Insect Friends. 41 



hymenopt Ton, several of which may be bred from a single egg. I have obtained 

 as many as thirty-three from three eggs. 



(2.) It is not only interesting, but amusing to observe Chalcis annulata 

 emerge from a big Hesperiid pupa, that, for example, of Pericliares corydon. 

 They emerge rather damp, especially those first coming through the abdomen 

 of the pupa, as they have to work their way usually through a mass of fatty 

 tissue, and have to soften the outer skin of the pupa by a liquid exudation, 

 while they are gnawing their exit holes. When a slight opening is made, the 

 end of one or both fore-legs will now and then be protruded and withdrawn. 

 Those which emerge near the head, or those which, deeply situated, can utilize 

 the borings made by those that have already emerged, come out rather drier. 

 The wet ones have a lot of rubbing and cleaning down bo do before they feel 

 fit for the duties which lie before them. Occasionally one presents a ludicrous 

 sight by emerging with an antenna stuck down across its face, and several 

 minutes may elapse before it gets it free. 



(3). When I wrote the first portion of this article I surmised that the 

 comatose condition of a Diatnea caterpillar attacked by the parasite Iphiaulax 

 medianus was occasioned probably by some act of the parasite larva. This 

 turns out incorrect as I have since worked out the full life-history of the 

 parasite, and have found that the Diatruea caterpillar is indeed paralyzed by the 

 adult Iphiaulax at the time she oviposits, and that its young larva may 

 attach itself to segments other than the thoracic. The life-history as given in 

 my •• General Report on Insect Pests for the year 1912,'" is as follows : — ■ 



" The adult female parasite alights on a cane shoot, along which she then 

 walks, tapping it with her antenna?, her every action showing plainly she is in 

 keen search of something. On finding the orifice of a caterpillar tunnel she 

 pauses and begins to insert her ovipositor into the tunnel. She soon gives 

 three or four quick but slight jerks, and then remains quiescent. In about 

 ten minutes she withdraws her ovipositor. She paralyzes the caterpillar 

 at the time of oviposition, and the jerking movements no doubt occur when she 

 is stinging it. She deposits her egg in the tunnel, and near the caterpillar. 

 The egg is about three m.m. long, whitish, translucent, firm or leathery, narrow 

 and elongated, tapering to a short point at the anterior end, but to a long point 

 at the posterior. At the latter end there is a minute curved blackish hook 

 which serves to keep the egg in position by catching into the cane fibres. The 

 linn texture of the egg serves to protect it from injury should the caterpillar 

 writhe against it. 



" The egg-period is extremely short, being just about one day. 



"The paralyzed caterpillar lives for three or four days from the time it 

 is paralyzed till finally killed by the parasite larva. The larval period of the 

 parasite is very short, about A days. 



" The brevity of both the egg and larva stages can be very readily 

 understood when it is remembered that the larva requires fresh food, and has 

 only a single caterpillar on which to feed. It of necessity therefore has to gel 

 through it rapidly before extreme decomposition sets in and do all its growing 

 in that short time. 



" After its feeding is over, the larva spins a cocoon, which may be white or 

 dirty white, in the tunnel of the caterpillar. Once in a way a cocoon will be 

 found between a shoot and the clasping base of a leaf-sheath showing most 



