122 
pine. 
r 
Giant Sirex, “Wood Wasp.” Sir ex gig as, Linn. 
Female “ Wood Wasp ” and maggot. Jaw of maggot, with four sharp, narrow 
teeth; and jaw of fly, with three broader teeth, both magnified. 
During the past season specimens of Sirex gigas have been sent me 
as doing much harm in Lord Meath’s woods, at Kilruddery, Bray, 
Ireland; likewise by Lady Frances Doyne, from timber at Wells, 
Gorey, Wexford (also on the east coast of Ireland), and from Mr. 
Empson Jones, of Woodside, Hacketstown, Carlow, a locality lying 
some miles further inland between the two above named places. 
This insect, which is now well known as injurious to Pine timber 
in England, was noted in 1850 by Prof. Westwood as being then 
generally regarded as of very rare occurrence in this country. During 
the last few years it has been much more noticeable here, but I am 
not aware of it having been recorded as present in Ireland. The 
insect and its attack appear to have been previously quite unobserved 
at the three not very distant localities mentioned, and excited a good 
deal of well founded uneasiness as to the amount of mischief that 
might be caused if the infestation spread. 
In one of the communications from Woodside, Hacketstown, Mr. 
Empson Jones mentioned, on the 7th of August:—“I could not see a 
single male flying about, but saw several females, and the males were 
far more numerous in the timber three weeks ago than the females. 
From the quantity of timber destroyed, they must be very numerous 
this year.” * 
* The male is easily distinguished by the absence of the ovipositor; the colouring 
is given in Stephen’s ‘ Entomology ’ as, “ abdomen luteous, the 1st and last segment 
and its appendage black; the hinder pair of tibiae and tarsi fuscous, pale at the 
base.” In the specimens of the male sent me, the colouring between the black 
extremities of the abdomen was of such a reddish tint as to be indistinguishable 
from that of males of the Sirex juvencus, which I have received accompanying their 
blue-black females. I did not, however, observe any blue tint in the black abdominal 
markings of these males, nor were any females of the “ Steel Blue” Sirex (the S. 
juvencus) sent me.— Ed. 
