﻿270 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  Hair-worms 
  and 
  Bed-mites 
  remarkably 
  abundant 
  upon 
  Lo- 
  

   custs 
  in 
  California. 
  — 
  Since 
  reading 
  my 
  brother's 
  articles 
  last 
  week 
  

   (being 
  absent 
  myself 
  last 
  fall 
  and 
  winter), 
  I 
  am 
  reminded 
  of 
  having 
  seen 
  

   about 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  an 
  acre 
  of 
  my 
  meadow, 
  thickly 
  filled 
  last 
  fall 
  with 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  the 
  pools 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  creek, 
  as 
  the 
  snow 
  went 
  off, 
  covered 
  

   with 
  millions 
  and 
  millions 
  of 
  what 
  I 
  now 
  think 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  Gordius 
  

   (white 
  hair-snakes), 
  about 
  one 
  inch 
  long 
  ; 
  also, 
  another 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  

   acre 
  fairly 
  covered 
  with 
  little 
  red-mites, 
  which 
  I 
  will 
  hereafter 
  observe 
  

   more 
  closely. 
  — 
  [W. 
  O. 
  Lemmon, 
  Sierra 
  Valley, 
  California, 
  June 
  13, 
  1880. 
  

  

  Chalcid 
  Flies. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  instance 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  flies 
  have 
  been 
  

   observed 
  to 
  attack 
  locusts 
  is 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  quotation 
  from 
  

   an 
  article 
  by 
  Professor 
  Lemmon 
  in 
  the 
  Sacramento, 
  Cal., 
  Weekly 
  Record- 
  

   Union, 
  November 
  29, 
  1879 
  : 
  

  

  Another 
  enemy 
  greatly 
  feared 
  by 
  the 
  locusts 
  is 
  a 
  minute, 
  ant-resembling 
  fly 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chalcis 
  group. 
  It 
  has 
  monstrous 
  enlargements 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  legs 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  foot 
  ; 
  

   yellow, 
  lenticular, 
  and 
  prominent, 
  they 
  resemble 
  the 
  pollen 
  baskets 
  of 
  a 
  bee. 
  This 
  little 
  

   swift-flying 
  insect 
  pursues 
  the 
  locust, 
  and 
  hovering 
  over 
  its 
  head, 
  attempts, 
  by 
  a 
  quick 
  

   thrust 
  of 
  its 
  ovipositor, 
  to 
  place 
  an 
  egg 
  upon 
  its 
  head 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  sutures 
  of 
  its 
  neck, 
  

   meanwhile 
  dexterously 
  dodging 
  the 
  blows 
  aimed 
  at 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  frantic 
  locust. 
  My 
  

   close-observing 
  brother, 
  B. 
  F. 
  Lemmon, 
  and 
  myself 
  watched 
  it 
  particularly 
  when 
  at- 
  

   tacking 
  female 
  locusts 
  ovipositing. 
  Frequently 
  the 
  locust 
  would 
  duck 
  and 
  dodge 
  about, 
  

   strike 
  with 
  her 
  hind 
  feet, 
  or 
  hasten 
  away 
  to 
  another 
  spot, 
  but 
  becoming 
  wearied, 
  or 
  

   perhaps 
  more 
  concerned 
  in 
  her 
  work 
  of 
  providing 
  for 
  the 
  continuation 
  of 
  her 
  own 
  spe- 
  

   cies, 
  she 
  often 
  remained 
  motionless, 
  martyr 
  -like 
  enduring 
  attacks 
  from 
  all 
  quarters. 
  

   How 
  this 
  pest 
  is 
  fostered 
  or 
  when 
  or 
  how 
  born 
  the 
  writer 
  cannot 
  tell 
  ; 
  circumstances 
  

   prevented 
  the 
  examination 
  necessary 
  at 
  the 
  right 
  times. 
  

  

  The 
  egg-parasite, 
  Galoptenobia 
  ovivora, 
  of 
  our 
  First 
  Eeport, 
  proves 
  to 
  

   be 
  Sparasion 
  famelicus 
  of 
  Say, 
  338 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Hymenopterous 
  family 
  

   Proctotrupidw. 
  The 
  insect, 
  however, 
  belongs 
  not 
  to 
  Sparasion, 
  but 
  to 
  

   the 
  closely 
  allied 
  genus 
  Scelio, 
  Latreille, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  known 
  as 
  Scelio 
  

   famelicus 
  (Say). 
  In 
  our 
  types 
  we 
  note 
  that 
  the 
  mandibles 
  and 
  tegulse 
  

   are 
  honey 
  yellow. 
  From 
  Say's 
  description 
  these 
  specimens 
  differ 
  only 
  

   in 
  having 
  two, 
  instead 
  of 
  six, 
  of 
  the 
  basal 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  antennae 
  pale, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  mandibles 
  being 
  hardly 
  "piceous." 
  

  

  Digger 
  Wasps. 
  — 
  Accompanying 
  a 
  letter 
  dated 
  July 
  11, 
  1880, 
  Mr. 
  

   W. 
  C. 
  Lemmon 
  sends 
  specimens 
  of 
  Larra 
  tarsata 
  Say, 
  a 
  digger 
  wasp 
  

  

  labrum 
  (misprint 
  for 
  labium?), 
  which 
  they 
  cannot 
  possibly 
  be 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  evidently 
  the 
  

   maxillae. 
  The 
  upper 
  lateral 
  pieces 
  bearing 
  the 
  antennae 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  conspicuous, 
  

   judging 
  from 
  the 
  description, 
  in 
  Bombylius 
  than 
  in 
  Systcechus. 
  The 
  pupa 
  of 
  Bombylius, 
  

   from 
  Dr. 
  Chapman's 
  excellent 
  description, 
  diffeis 
  in 
  the 
  greater 
  prominence 
  and 
  some- 
  

   what 
  different 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  cephalic 
  spines, 
  the 
  anterior 
  pair 
  being 
  stouter 
  and 
  

   more 
  bent 
  forward 
  than 
  in 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  we 
  have 
  treated 
  of. 
  Dr. 
  Chapman 
  

   speaks 
  of 
  these 
  spines 
  forcibly 
  reminding 
  him 
  of 
  the 
  tusks 
  of 
  a 
  walrus, 
  and 
  of 
  their 
  

   admirable 
  adaptation 
  to 
  tearing 
  down 
  the 
  clay 
  stopping 
  and 
  digging 
  through, 
  as 
  

   " 
  with 
  mattock 
  and 
  shovel," 
  the 
  long 
  burrows 
  of 
  the 
  bee 
  upon 
  which 
  it 
  preys. 
  The 
  

   dorsal 
  and 
  anal 
  spines 
  are 
  also 
  much 
  more 
  prominent 
  than 
  in 
  our 
  locust-egg 
  parasites. 
  

   The 
  pupa 
  of 
  Systcechus 
  and 
  Triodites, 
  not 
  being 
  under 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  such 
  strenuous 
  

   digging, 
  have 
  a 
  less 
  formidable 
  armature 
  ; 
  otherwise, 
  there 
  is 
  stri 
  ct 
  structural 
  corre- 
  

   spondence 
  with 
  Bombylius. 
  

   ^Boston 
  Journal 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  27C 
  (1836). 
  

  

  