SPRUCE fiUDWORM. 2^ 



on July 29 and these were pounced upon by small spiders and 

 devourefl, while we stood by. in a manner highly suggesting an 

 explanation of the scarcity of newly hatched caterpillars which 

 was certainly a peculiar sequel to the abundance of the season's 

 moths. 



PARASITIC INSECTS. 



The parasitic insects which we have found belong to the two 

 orders Hymenoptera and Diptera. Of the former several dif- 

 ferent species have been reared, by us, of the latter, the only 

 species we have reared is the following. 



E.vorisfo vulgaris Fallen. 



Kongl, Svenska Vetensk. Ak. Handl. XXXI. iSro. Osten Sacken. 

 Canad. Ent. XIX. p. 163 1887. (hirstita.) 



Male. Eyes thickty pubescent, front about one and one fourth 

 times as wide as either eye, frontal vitta velvety dark brown with a 

 reddish tinge, about half as wide as the front; vibrissae inserted in 

 level with the oral margin; sides of iront silvery as well as the sides 

 of the face, cheeks and the facial depression, cheeks hairy; antennae 

 descending below the level of the lower margin of the eye, the third 

 joint about four times as long as the second, arista thickened to the 

 middle; palpi and proboscis black; frontal bristles descending to below 

 the base of the third antennal joint; orbital bristles wanting. Thorax 

 black, shining, with four more or less distinct pollinose stripes; scutel- 

 lum black, its apical margin v.ith a paler tinge : pleura pollinose : four 

 post sutural bristles ; sterno pleurals three. Abdomen shining black, seg- 

 ments largely white pollinose, second, third and fourth segments bear- 

 ing discal as well as marginal bristles. Legs black, middle tibiae each 

 with a single bristle on the front side near the middle ; hind tibiae out- 

 wardly irregularly ciliate with longer and shorter bristles ; pulvilli 

 white. Wings hyaline, grayish tinged, apical crossvein slightly incurved 

 at the base ; posterior crossvein slightly though distinctly sigmoid curved ; 

 halteres brown ; calypteres white. Length 7 mm. Bred from pupae 

 brought by ]\Ir. Wm. C. Woods from Houlton. Lot No. 1513. 



In the course of a study of the parasites of the spruce bud- 

 worm in Canada by the Division of Entomology a new species 

 of Tachnid fly was reared in considerable numbers. A descrip- 



