THE CANADIAIT ENTOMOLOGIST. 61 



earlier than at Ottawa, and as I intend to be on the alert myself, my work 

 will be comparatively lessened if I could be favoured with the result of his 

 observations. Not that I expect to find it upon the same plant, but from its 

 affinities or properties I can easily select the plant. 



" There is a matter connected with this insect that I do not understand, 

 that is, the cause of its local restriction. I know that the generally received 

 opinion is that the localization of certain insects, such as Diurnal Lepidoptera, 

 depends upon the existence of certain plants equally circumscribed in their 

 habits. In the present instance the principal part of the plants are more or 

 less local, inhabiting bogs, maishes, and swamps; but the most rare are 

 found in many similar places over the country, where this insect does not 

 occur. What, then, can cause the restriction of this insect to a circumscribed 

 spot ? Certainly, not altogether because it contains a certain species of plant. 

 I suspect rather that it is partly due to topographical and other conditions,, 

 which involves a problem not easily solved." 



Since the above was in type, we observed in the American Naturalist,. 

 June, 1868, p. 218, a note by Dr. Packard on this insect, in which he states 

 that " the larva hybernates through the winter, and may be found in early 

 spring feeding on the leaves of the Aster, the Vibernum dentatum, and the 

 Hazel."— Ed. C. E. 



PAKASITES IN THE CELLS OF VESPA MACULATA, LINN. 



I collected several specimens of the nests of Vespa Macidata, Linn., last 

 fall, for the purpose of studying their architecture. The cells of two nests 

 carried home in October were infested with Hymenopterous parasites; one 

 of these, I suppose to be a Microgaster, issued from a covered cell a few days 

 afterwards. I obtained five specimens from this cell, — ^in which they occu- 

 pied a longitudinal position, and each separated by a thin cocoon. It is 

 evidently a Vespa pupa parasite, as I noticed that several covered cells had 

 been occupied by it. — Therefore it occurs to me that they issue about the 

 beginning of September, and afterwards hybernate. The length of the para- 

 site is five-sixteenths of an inch. 



The second, which I suppose to be the Vespa larvge parasite, occupies about 

 two-thirds of the open cells of the wasp. Their exterior cocoons are chesout 

 colored, and of a triangular shape, occupying the sides, near the bottom of 

 the cells, where, in many cases, there are two parasite larvae covered by one 

 exterior cocoon, while each larva is enclosed interiorly in a strong oblong 

 silken cell. The cells containing these parasites have been kept in a warm 

 room since last October, and although the larvas are quite active [Jan. 25th], 

 no visible change appears to me to have taken place since the day they were 



