﻿2 14 [February, 



bekannt. Blattw., 1859), who also gives a brief notice of the larva and its habits. 

 The words in the description of P. melitta " antennas shorter than the thorax " 

 must result from a slip of the pen, as Mr. Healy's specimens have these organs 

 longer, if anything, than the head and thorax together, as they should be according 

 to Zaddach. The insect is a true Fenusa and not a Phyllotoma ; the latter genus 

 has from 11 to 15 antennal joints, whereas in Fenusa there are only 9 (or exception- 

 ally 10) ; moreover, the lanceolate cell (" lanzett-formige Zelle," Hartig) in the 

 fore-wings is very differently shaped in the two genera — in Phyllotoma it extends 

 nearly to the base of the wing with a notch in its lower edge, and includes one 

 oblique veinlet; in Fenusa it is of the form of a pointed oval or loop, a long peduncle 

 connecting it with the base. — E. McLachlan, Lewisham, Y&th January, 1870. 



Note on the pairing of Odynerus spinipes, Linn. — Odynerus spinipes takes its 

 specific name from the curious tridentate structure of the femora of the intermediate 

 legs in the male. As I was unable to learn the use of this development, until I 

 observed it for myself, my observation is possibly worth recording. 



The structure above referred to is used by the male to imprison the wings of 

 the female in pairing. By a very rapid movement he places himself on the back 

 of the female, and at the same instant secures her wings, the nervures of which, 

 near the base of the wing, fit into the spaces between the teeth of the femur, and 

 are held there by the tibia being closed on them, and bent almost parallel with 

 the femur, the tarsi of the opposite sides, crossing close under the body of the male ; 

 the costal nervure might rather be said to occupy the hollow at the base of 

 the tibia. The " spines " of the femur, in fact, fit between the nervures of the 

 wing, and are, with merely the membrane of the wing between, in contact with the 

 tibia. The wings are thus held securely in a slightly elevated position, and at an 

 angle of about 90° with those of the opposite side. The anterior claws of the male 

 hold by the anterior angles of the thorax of the female, and his long antennas are 

 directed straight forwards, their curled extremities seizing the scapes of the antennas 

 of the female. 



The female, thus securely pinioned, still resists pairing ; which I have never 

 seen occur, although I have seen the female so held for several minutes. This was 

 in insects in confinement. I have only once made the observation on the wasp at 

 large, and on that occasion pairing failed to occur. Except in bright sunshine the 

 males are very sluggish. — T.Algernon Chapman, M.D., Abergavenny, January, 1870. 



Morayshire Lepidoptera. — I spent six weeks (August 9th — September 20th) 

 with my friend, Mr. George Norman, at Forres, N. B., and had some very pleasant 

 collecting. This locality, like many in Scotland, only needs well working to produce 

 an abundance of good insects. The extensive sandhills (barren as the Author of 

 the " Lepidopterist's Guide " could possibly desire), moors, and woods of birch and 

 pine, afford a rich and unusually varied field for the entomologist. Except the 

 Noctuai, but little is known of the Lepidoptera of the district, and I do not think 

 even they are yet quite worked out. 



The only butterflies of note which I saw were H. Semele, on the Culbin sands 

 (I believe a scarce species in Scotland) and E. Blandina, common throughout the 

 district. I succeeded in obtaining a considerable number of eggs of this species 



