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minute hole through the bark, and in both were heads of half-grown 
larva? of S. andreniformis. This makes it probable that the parasite 
may be much commoner, than the numbers I bred would suggest, 
since I take few stems containing half-grown larva?. This ichneumon 
emerges between May 28th-31st, and probably oviposits on those 
larva? which are latest in boring into the wood. Its ovipositor could 
scarcely reach the others. The parasite is abundant in South England, 
especially on the chalk, and has been bred by Dr. Chapman from 
seedling heads of cistus, in which were larvae of Mesophli/is corxicellus. 
Rothschild bred the allied B. roberti from S. andreniformis. I bred a 
single specimen of another Braconid, Plianerotoma dentata, Pant, J , 
on June 7th, but could not find its cocoon. 
Rothschild has bred Demopliiles caliyinosns, Grav., and Ciibncejihalns 
brevicnrnis , Tasch. Of the latter I too bred a male on June 2nd, but 
failed to find its cocoon. 
Capron records it from Shere, Surrey, a locality in which this host 
is found. By far the greatest mortality is caused by the attack of the 
solitary ichneumon Meniscus pimplator, Zett., which I have found 
wherever I have taken larvae of this clearwing. It destroys the full 
fed larva after it has made a cocoon, its own transparent whitish or 
pale brown cocoon being found inside that of the larva, and it escapes 
by boring a hole through the cap, where that remains. It appears 
from June 11th to the beginning of August, and must attack the larva 
in its gallery in the wood, for which purpose the long ovipositor of the 
female is well adapted. 
For the identification of the dipteron I am indebted to Mr. C. J. 
Wainwright, and for all information about the hymenoptera to Mr. 
Claude Morley. 
CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE-HISTORY OF COENOBIA RUFA. 
(Read February 2nd, 1909, by H. M. EDELSTEN, F.E.S.) 
Two or three years ago I was in the Norfolk Broads with Mr. 
Bowles, at the beginning of June, and not having very much to do 
during the day, we thought we would try and find larvae of C. rufa, 
about whose life-history very little appears to be known in Britain. 
As regards the continent, Wilde says “larva unknown,” but he 
describes the pupa, and Hoffman describes the larva, and says it feeds 
in Jnncns lamprocarpus, so we went to a spot where there is an 
abundance of this rush, and -where we had often taken C. rufa in 
numbers. We started by looking for sickly rushes, but there were so 
many stems of all colours, that it was like searching for a needle in a 
haystack, so we gave that up, and kneeling down in the fen we pulled 
every stem within reach. At last, when w r e were nearly giving it up, 
I happened to pull a sickly-looking one, which came up quite easily, 
and, on examining the lower end, we saw at once something was 
feeding within. On cutting it open, we found a small pinky-white 
larva of the Nonagriid type, and felt sure we had got the right thing. 
We set to work hard after this, going for all the unhealthy-looking 
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