1830.] 
11 
Torymus caudatus, Boh., Yet. Ac. Ilandl., 1833, ]). 365, sec. Thoms., 
Hymen. Scand., iv, 84, 6, has been sent me by Mr. J. E. Fletcher, who 
reared it from fir cones collected in the hopes of rearing Coccyx 
strobilana. Mayr (/. c., p. 100) considers caudatus to be a variety of 
azureus, Boh., in which opinion I am inclined to agree with him, for 
the two forms ( azureus and caudatus ) appear to merge together when 
we examine a large number of specimens, while they both frequent fir- 
cones. T. azureus is the form which I recorded Trans. Ent. Soc., 1879, 
p. 119. It has the ovipositor shorter than in caudatus , and generally 
the colour is violet and not obscure green, as in the last mentioned. 
Thomson regards them as two distinct species. 
I find that these insects are much better examined by setting 
them on silver wire than by carding them, as is usually done in this 
country. Not only are much better results obtained by this method, 
but much time is saved the student, the sticking of a wire through an 
insect taking up far less time than spreading out its legs, wings, &c., 
by means of needles and gum on cardboard ; while, not unfrequently 
by the latter method, unless great care be taken to display the various 
parts, the form of the joints of the antennae and legs cannot satisfac- 
torily be made out ; it ma} r be owing to the employment of too much 
gum, or to the parts not being displayed sufficiently. The method is 
very simple. All that is required is to get silver wire* of the thickness 
required, cut it up in lengths (say 4 lines each), taking care to cut off 
the points as obliquely as possible ; stick one of these through the 
thorax of your insect ; then insert the wire with the insect on it in a 
piece of pith (that of the Jerusalem artichoke will do), which may 
hold only one insect or several, according to taste ; finally, place an 
ordinary pin through the piece of pith, and, by means of it, stick the 
whole in the cabinet. If all this be done properly, no part of the 
insect need be disturbed, which would certainly be the case if ordinary 
pins be employed for the smaller species. 
I do not, however, mean to say, that carding has no advantages. 
The above remarks refer only to Cludcididce. I have not succeeded so 
well with Oxyura and parasitic Cynipidce , owing to their much harder 
and smoother bodies ; these insects are not easily pinned, the wire 
generally slipping off, while the successive attempts to insert it usually 
lead to the destruction of the iusect. Such, at any rate, has been my 
experience ; but no doubt, with greater experience, the difficulty might 
be got over. My views on the comparative advantages of carding and 
jnnning Hymenoptera I have stated elsewhere (Broc. Nat. Hist. Soc. 
Glasg., 1877, p. 144), so I need not refer to the subject here. 
Glasgow : May, 1880. 
* Silver wire of any thickness may be had from Gurney & Co., 70, Little Britain, London, E.C. 
