affecthuj the Corn- Crops. 
495 
1. P. Tipulao, PI. N.fig. 1 ; a, the natural size. — Female y>\\.q\\- 
coloured, sliining : aiitennsc nearly as long as the body, inserted 
at the lower part of the face, slender, clavate, geniculated or an- 
gulated, as if broken, slightly pubescent, ochreous, and ten-jointed, 
the four terminal joints brown and obovate, the apical one conical ; 
basal joint long, curved, and clavate ; second and third subovate, 
the latter very slender; foinlh a little longer; fifth and sixth 
minute (fig. h) : head black, subglobose, thickly and finely punc- 
tured, with a minute tooth between the base of the antennae ; eyes 
oval and lateral, ocelli large and placed nearly in a straight line 
across the crown: thorax somewhat globose with minute pale 
pubescence; scuteUum horizontal, long, conical, and mucronated ; 
the spine ferruginous : abdomen small, scarcely larger than the 
thorax, slightly depressed, obovate, black and very shining, at- 
tached by a short stout pedicel which is ferruginous at the base ; 
the second segment forms a convex shield^ which nearly covers the 
back, with three or four rings towards the apex ; the flexible tip is 
armed with a very long ciu-ved ovipositor, like a hair, which is 
concealed in the abdomen when at rest : the four wings transparent, 
iridescent, pubescent, and ciliated, destitute of nervures, the superior 
much- the largest, the apex quite round : legs strong, bright 
ochreous; thighs thickened at their extremities ; tibia; spurred at 
the apex, very clavate, hinder with the knob sometimes fuscous; 
tarsi slender and five-jointed. " Male black, shining, very smooth, 
sparingl}' clothed with short pubescence : head excessively finely 
punctured, slightly shining : eyes and ocelli pitchy black : an- 
tennae pitchy, first to fifth joints reddish : apex ofscutellum fus- 
cous; metathorax and first abdominal segment rough, obscure, 
pilose : abdomen smooth, shining ; second segment with two little 
pits at the base; legs pale reddish; hinder tibiae and apex of tarsi 
pitchy : wings somewhat transparent : scales pitchy." 
It seems that the males do not dilfer, except in a trifling degree, 
in the structure of the horns, in which, I believe, the fourth joint is 
larger and the tenth longer and more pointed ; but it is very remark- 
able that whilst the females occasionally swarm, so little is known of 
the habits of the opposite sex that I have not yet been able to meet 
with a specimen. Tlie only one I ever saw was captured by Mr. 
Haliday on a rose-tree, and the above characters are translated 
from Mr. F. Walker's paper rpon the Genus Platygaster.* This 
is such an extensive group that he has described 99 species which 
inhabit this country, and amongst them is one named P. Tritici 
by Mr. Haliday, who found it on corn and willows in England 
and Ireland, and from its specific name it is evident that ta- 
* Entomological Mag., vol. iii. p. 2^0. 
