788 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
Young Worms Frenne on Eces or tur Same Broop.—In a 
recent biography of the celebrated Swiss naturalist Claparéde, by 
M. H. de Saussure, published in the “ Bibliotheque Universelle,” 
he is said to haye made the strange discovery that among the eggs 
contained in great numbers in the capsule secreted by the worm 
(Clitellum) one only transforms into an embryo. This rapidly in- 
creases in size, since as soon as its mouth is formed, it devours 
the surrounding eggs, which thus serve as a reservoir of food. 
This phenomenon is analogous to that which has been described 
in certain gastropodous molluscs such as Purpura, etc. 
Brack Varnisuep Insect Prns.— M.. Peyerimhoff advocates 
the use of black varnished insect pins instead of silvered brass 
pins, which corrode in the body of the insects, especially of Micro- 
Lepidoptera, very soon disfigure them, and eventually utterly de- 
stroy them. The editor of “ Petites Nouvelles Entomologiques,” 
thinks that varnished brass pins may last somewhat longer, but 
that these will eventually perish in the same way. ‘We be- 
HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITES IN A BretLe.— Wishing to compare 
certain muscles of locomotion of butterflies with those of some 
other insect, I selected from a bottle of alcoholic specimens a spe- 
cies of Pimelia which I had collected in Egypt-—a large, compact, 
very hard-shelled beetle, with elytra connate to the last degree. On 
opening the beetle from above and removing the mass of nearly 
or quite developed eggs which lay on the upper surface, I noticed 
Some vermiform bodies lying free in the cavity of the abdomen. 
Examining them carefully, my astonishment was great on discov- 
ering that they were hymenopterous larve, closely resembling 
those of certain species of Braconide which are so easily reared 
from some lepidopterous larve. I had detected several when I 
was called away, and was afterwards unable to distinguish from 
ominal cavity of a perfect hexapod? Least of all should we 
expect to find them in such hard-shelled Coleoptera? How and 
