UROCERID-E. 



Ill 



Sp. 2. Dromedarius. Niger, abdominis medio rufo, laterihus albo punctatis, 

 pedibus ferrugineis, tihiis posticis lasi albis. (Long. corp. $ 4 — 6 lin. ; 

 9 5—9 lin.; Exp. Alar. $ 5— 6i lin.; ? 8—13 lin.) 

 Si. Dromedarius. Fabricius.— Donovan, v. xiv. pi. 483. — Xi. Dromedarius. 



Stepk. Catal. 342. No. 3995. 

 Black, shining : forehead rough, with 2 oblong white streaks on the crown, 2 

 small ones behind the eye, and 4 beneath ; thorax rough, with a white 

 crescent on each side before the wings ; abdomen with the 2 basal segments 

 rough with punctures, immaculate, the 6 following glabrous, shining dull 

 red, with a white dot on both sides of each segment, the terminal one largest ; 

 legs ferruginous, the tibia; white at the base ; tarsi with the basal joint pale, 

 the remainder brownish ; wings hyaline, with fuscous nervures, and a little 

 clouded with fuscous at the tips. Ovipositor red, with black sheaths. 

 Male with only 1 or 2 segments of the abdomen red: both sexes vary consider- 

 ably in size, and the number of white dots on the sides of the abdomen 

 varies also. 



Taken in marshy places, where willows abound, in the vicinity of 

 London, as in Battersea and Rotherhithe fields ; near Fulham ; also 

 in the New Forest and in Norfolk, from May to July : not un- 

 common. 



Family III.— UROCERIDiS, Leach. 

 Wings with distinct marginal areolets : mandibles short : labium entire, not 

 lobate: maxillary palpi long and 5-jointed, or short, with 1 or 2 joints; 

 labial short, with from 1 to 4 joints : ovipositor filiform, inclosed in a groove 

 beneath the abdomen, or arising from a deep cleft beneath the 6th segment, 

 and extending backwards considerably beyond the apex of the abdomen: 

 antennw various. 



The insects of this family are also xylophagous, but they differ too 

 much in structure to be associated with the foregoing, as may be 

 observed by the characters above given : like those insects they differ 

 considerably in size; the larger species of the group are very 

 destructive, and at times commit sad havock amongst timber trees, 

 especially those of the fir kind, but, happily for the proprietors, they 

 are comparatively rare in this country, occurring only in a few 

 distinct localities, but in them they are sometimes far too numerous : 

 they are very active and lively, and fly with rapidity, making a loud 

 humming noise. 



In Britain 2 genera only have hitherto been discriminated, but the 

 genus Sirex offers such considerable variations in the structure of its 

 trophi, &c. as may probably warrant its subdivision into more:— the 

 2 already distinguished may be thus known :■— 



