(ECONOMY OF ICHNEUMON MANlEESTATOH. 273 



And this was the position arrived at, at the time of publication of my volume 

 on the Piinplin?e*. 



Mr. E. A. Cockayne, F.L.S., F.E.S.^ has recently sent me a specimen of 

 Epliialtes eA'ten507',Tasch,, a common Continental species which had not hitherto 

 been noticed in Britain, for determination ; and subsequently generously 

 presented me with the specimen. His notes upon it are so extremely similar 

 to those of a hundred and twenty years ago that I quote them hi extenso. 

 Near the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens at 5.45 r.M. on September 

 7th, 1908, he saw this ichneumon fly sitting on the trunk of an old oak. It 

 appeared at first sight to be at rest, but on closer examination was found to 

 be engaged inoviposition. The head was depressed and the abdomen slightly 

 raised with the sheath of the ovipositor sticking straight out behind. The 



ovipositor itself was pushed through a small congregation of dark brown frass 

 on the bark, and pointing forward (see figure) at an acute angle with the 

 body t- The insect kept gently and slowly pushing its ovipositor further in 

 and then withdrawing it again, but never pushing it very deeply nor entirely 

 withdrawing it : as if feeling for a larva. Sometimes it held it quite still for 

 a second or two, as though very softly investigating with its tip. After about 

 one minute or two it drew out its ovipositor entirely, and he then secured it. 

 Upon investigating the burrow he discovered a larva of the clear-wing moth, 

 Sesia cynipceformis ; it was about a quarter of an inch below the frass in 

 a small chamber in the bark. It appeared to be about 10 mm. in length. 



* 'The Ichneumons of Britain,' vol. iii. pp. 31-33 (MM. Brown, 20 FulhamRoad, S.W.), 

 1908. 



1" Cf. Marsliam's drawings, 3 et 4. 



