11 
Ichneumonid. Ratzeburg (Die Iehneumonen der Forstinsecten, p. 14, 
Baud 1 ) states that the shortest life round of any of the parasitic Hymen- 
optera known to him is that of Pimpla fulvipes, from July 15 or 16 to 
August 5 — twenty or twenty-one days. In this instance the host was 
Lithosm quadra, a sptm-up larva of which was found July 16 bearing 
eight small white Ichneumonid egg^. On the 17th the eggs had 
hatched: on the 19th the larvse had become quite large: on the 20th 
they had begun to spin: on the I'M they had inclosed themselves in 
small white cocoons; on the 25th they had transformed to pupae; on 
August 3 the colors of the adult were noticeable, and on the 5th the 
first adult issued. 
Adult females of Pimpla inquisitor were watched man}' times when 
searching for caterpillars of the proper condition for oviposition. On 
September 10 five individuals were observed to oviposit in tussock- 
moth caterpillars. The first one stung a larva which was just spinning 
up. The Pimpla ran up to the posterior 
end of the cocoon, stood for a moment 
with antenna? vibrating on the cocoon 
as though to ascertain the exact con- 
dition of affairs, then suddenly ran a 
short distance forward, bringing its 
ovipositor into a somewhat forward- 
directed position, and quickly inserted 
it through the silk and into the body 
of the caterpillar, which at once com- 
menced to struggle violently. The wast) 
was not disturbed and remained in 
position for some minutes. The cater- 
pillar was then examined and it was 
found that a Tachinid egg had already 
been deposited upon it between the 
second and third thoracic segments. 
It was placed aside to endeavor to rear the parasite, but the attempt 
was not successful and nothing was bred from it. A second and 
third one were observed to act in the same manner, the operation 
in each case lasting about two minutes. No adult parasites were 
bred in either ca<e. A fourth oviposited in a webbed-up caterpillar, 
which, when stung, already carried some eggs of the same species. 
A fifth, after running about for fifteen minutes examining a cocoon 
here and there, was seen to enter the opening at the anterior end of 
one of the cocoons and remained inside of it for several minutes. The 
cocoon was removed and examined and it was found that the caterpil- 
lar was dead and with it was one half-grown larva of this parasite, the 
offspring of some previous visitor. Xo adults were reared as the result 
of any one of these five observations. It was noticed on the following 
day that two and even three females of the Pimpla would occasionally 
engage at the same time in ovipositing in the same cocoon. In the 
FiG.3. —Pimpla iiu/u.isitor : Adult fi-uiale. 
from side — enlarged (original)* 
