91 
ENTOMOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE, NOTICES OF 
NEW BOOKS, &c. 
(No. XVIII.) 
On the Larv^ of Insects which construct a common envelope, 
WITHIN which they UNDERGO THEIR TRANSFORMATIONS IN SOCIETY.- At 
the meeting of the Linusean Society, on the 6th February, 1844, a 
paper w^s read by J. Curtis, Esq., F.L.S., containing the descrip¬ 
tions of the nests of two species of Brazilian Hymenoptera. One 
of these insects belonged to the family Tenthredinidee, and to one 
of the divisions of the genus Hylotoma, having furcate antennm in 
the males like Schizocerus, and which Mr, Curtis considered neces¬ 
sary to separate from the rest under the name of Deiloceras, The 
sexes in this species varied greatly from each other in colour, but 
the chief interest of the communication consisted in the description 
of the nest formed by the larvae previous to their assuming the 
pupa state, and to the close juxtaposition of the hard cocoons 
which, in a section of the nest, had very much the appearance of a 
piece of honeycomb. The outer covering of the mass of cocoons 
was composed of a thick tissue of threads, spun close together, 
having very nearly the appearance of the large coverings of the 
eggs of the Mantidse. 
This instinct of larvae congregating together, and spinning a 
thick general covering previous to assuming the pupa state and 
forming their cocoons, is of very rare occurrence; and liitherto 
no instance has occurred in which the cocoons were so systemati¬ 
cally arranged side by side, so as, when cut through, to afford the 
appearance of hexagonal cells. In the family to which the species 
described by Mr. Curtis belongs, are found some of the species of 
the genus Lophyrus social in the larva state, living under a common 
web, which they quit, however, previous to becoming pupee. The 
Nematus of the gooseberry, however, undergoes its transformations 
in society, the end of the cocoon of one specimen being attached 
to another; * and Messrs. Kirby and Spence mention a still more 
analogous circumstance occurring in the same family, f Some of 
the little parasitic Ichneumonidm, belonging to the genus Micro- 
gaster, construct their cocoons in close contact together, so as in 
* Mod. Classif. of Ins. II., p. 104. 
f Introd. I., p. 405, 6th Edit. 
