[Deee, 
which, though it seems a likely, would certaiuly be an awkward, occ 
ence. O. hidentata remains longer than G. ignita in the egg-state 
a number reared by me from the egg, most were hatched twod; 
after they were collected, but one remained for three days, and anotl 
did not hatch until the fifth day, and from the time of hatching, 
larvae were eleven days in becoming full-fed. The eggs of G. lident 
are 1.5 millimetres in length, white, cylindrical, and very sligl, 
arched ; those of O. sjnnijjes are larger, 2.5 millimetres in length, yell 
in colour, and more arched. I failed to detect the egg of G. neglec 
principally, I believe, because the interval between its being deposil 
and hatching is so short, and also because I did not quite know whi 
to look for It. It probably resembles that of G hidentata, and is to 
found at the time the cell is closed up by O. splnipes, and for oi 
a few hours afterwards ,• but of this I was not aware at the proi 
season. * 
The young larva of G. hidentata seizes that of O. spinipes with 
jaws, pinching up a fold of skin, and contrives to extract fluid nut 
ment from it, without, apparently, making any aperture in the sk 
until it approaches to mature growth itself. I have very careful 
examined larvae of O. spinipes that were thus half sucked away 
cannot say eaten), and I could find no mark at the spot whence I hi 
just removed a larva of Ghrysis. I have several times squeezed tl 
Odynerus larva firmly, without any fluid exuding; even when squeez( 
almost to bursting, on only one occasion did a drop of clear fluid exud 
Nor is the Ghrysis larva particular as to where it seizes the Odynerm 
any point that may ofi'er itself to its jaws being seized. 
When the devourer is nearly full-grown, and the victim is vei 
flaccid, a process that may be called eating takes place, and the spinip^ 
larva almost entirely disappears. The manner in which the larvae ( 
G neylecta and ignita and of O. spinipes itself eat the little green grul 
is precisely similar; when young, they merely suck the juices of severa 
and sometimes return to and finish these when they are larger, bu 
they may often be found neglected when the larva is full-grown. 
The larva of G. hidentata casts its skin four times during its growth 
at tolerably regular intervals, of about two days. I have twice seei 
this process in operation : the skin splits down the back of the anterioi 
segments, and the corneous covering of the head splits into two latera 
halres, which remain attached to the skin when the shedding is com- 
pleted. A s compared with the larvae of the Lepidoptera and Goleoptcra. 
thejr feed up so rapidly, that one marvels how they have time to change 
thei* skins so often ; many a Lepidopteron requiring four or five dajs 
