23 



of our entomologists, and the time required for the transformations of this curious fly 

 be determined, as well as the further extent of its distribution. 



The outline drawings were made under the microscope, and give a fair idea of the 

 insect. Every part of the fly is covered with hairs of different lengths, as indicated in 

 the figure. The branched hair on the head is faithfully copied from a specimen, but in 

 others it was not so largely developed. The wings are beautifully edged with hairs, 

 and the membrane is also studded with them. The fly was drawn in the position given, 

 so as to show its extremely long legs, and the curious shape of the thorax and abdomen. 



"LONG-STINGS." 

 By W. Hague Harrington, Ottawa, Ont. 



Among the conspicuous insects which attract the attention of even non-entomolog- 

 ists, there are few more interesting in their structure and habits, as well as in their 

 relations to other groups, than the large " long-sting " ichneumons with their long triple 

 " tails." Our two largest species belong to the genus Rhyssa (of the Hymenoptera), and 

 as, so far as I am aware, no accounts of them have yet been published in the Entomolog- 

 ist, a brief description of their appearance and habits may not be undesirable. 



They may be easily distinguished from their relatives (often their victims), the 

 " horn- tails " — Uroceridae— as they are much more slender in body and appendages. 

 The female, readily determined by the extraordinary development of the ovipositor, has 

 the abdomen stouter than that of the male, with the posterior segments dilated and 

 curved under, and bearing the ovipositor, which is constructed essentially of the same 

 parts as is that of a " horn-tail," only that they are greatly lengthened. 



The head, in shape like a short segment of a cylinder, slightly convex before and 

 concave behind, bears on its rounded front a pair of large eyes, from between which 

 spring the long slender antennae. The head is joined by a small neck to the thorax, 

 which is strongly built and supports two pairs of long narrow wings, as well as the six 

 very long and slim, yet strong, legs. The segment of the abdomen which adjoins the 

 thorax is much less in diameter than the succeeding ones. 



The male has a long cylindrical abdomen tapering gradually to the extremity. 

 This, in connection with the prominent head and narrow wings, gives him, especially 

 when in flight, a considerable resemblance to a dragon-fly, from which, however, he is 

 at once distinguished by his long antennae and shorter hinder wings. 



In these insects, as in the Uroceridae, the hinder- wing has upon its anterior margin 

 a row of minute hooks with which to hold the posterior border of the front one. The 

 number of the hooks is, however, much less, there being only about a dozen scattered 

 along the outer half of the wing. 



Of our two species the larger and handsomer is R. atrata, of which my specimens 

 vary in length from a little over one and one- quarter inches to nearly two. The head is 

 a rich yellow, with the exception of the eyes and a slight band, bearing the ocelli, on the 

 vertex. The slender antennae, about an inch long, are also yellow, as, likewise, are the 

 extremely long legs, with the exception of the upper joints of the posterior pairs. The 

 thorax and abdomen are black. The wings, which expand from two to two and three- 

 quarter inches, are transparent, but with a dark smoky tinge. The female is furnished 

 with an ovipositor from four to Jive and one-half inches in length ; flattened and scarcely 

 stouter than a hair. 



R. lunator is more common, at least in this vicinity, and varies much more in size, 

 the largest specimens being fully twice as big as the lesser ones. The body varies in 

 length from three-quarters of an inch to one and one-half ^inches, and bears at its poste- 

 rior extremity an ovipositor projecting from one and one-half to three and three-quarter 

 inches. 



The head is yellow with a dark band, in which are inserted the three ocelli, between 

 the eyes, parallel to which runs another dark line which almost encircles the head. 



