INSECTA — STREPSIPTERA. 
239 
which is not now sufficient in a genus, so rich in species distinguished 
from each other with difficulty. 
The reporter (Arch. 1842, i. p. 267) has described several new species 
of the group Andrenidce, from Van Diemen’s Land ; Prosopis alcyonea, 
Hylceus familiaris, Andrena chalyheata, infima. 
Gene (1. c. p. 21) relates, that Osmia ferruginea, Latr., which in 
the beginning of spring appears very plentifully on the sea-coast of 
Sardinia, forms its nest in the shells of land snails, particularly Helix 
vermiculata and rhodostoma [pisana). 
Fried. Koch, of Stuttgart, spoke at the meeting of Natural Historians 
at Mainz, on the sexual relations of bees, in which a new view was 
given of the proceedings of the male, viz., — that they do not unite with 
the queen, but deposit the seminal fluid in the cells. Muller of Oden- 
bach, however, has disproved completely this ungrounded and indistinct 
assertion (Amtl. Bericht fiber d. 20 Versamml. d. deutsch. Naturf. u. 
Arzte zu Mainz in Septr. 1842, p. 198). 
Spinola (Rev. Zool. p. 216) has reverted to the sexual relations of the 
Melipones, as he doubted my account of the fruitful female (Report 
for 1840, p. 219). My expression, they were (vielmal) “ many times” 
larger than the workers, had been translated to him “ souvent” (often). 
Afterwards (ibid. p. 267) he has asserted, that he received a female of 
M. fulvipes, which was smaller than the workers, and many were found 
in one nest. The opinion, however, that these individuals were actually 
females, is not well founded. The idea newly entertained, that the indi- 
viduals of the Trigona angustula usually seen are females, I must again 
combat, for this is exactly one of those species of which the Berlin col- 
lection posseses a male, queen, and worker, taken from their nest (Vide 
Report for 1840, p. 209). 
STREPSIPTEEA. 
SiEBOLD has cleared up the natural history of these insects by very 
interesting and extensive observations, of which he gave a brief report 
at the meeting of Natural Historians at Mainz (1842), (Amt. Bericht, &c. 
p. 211). The most important point is, that the winged individuals 
hitherto known are only males; that the females live, like larvae, in 
their victim ; and that the six-legged insects, formerly called parasites, 
are the young larvae, which, after they have sought out a new animal to 
dwell in, and have penetrated the posterior part of its body, lose their 
feet when they next cast the skin, and become larvae provided with a 
mouth, but no anal opening. 
As the masterly work of the author is copiously quoted in these 
Archives (1843, i. p. 137, t. 7), I may refer to it. 
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