188 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
was still holding its own. On February 28th, 6 Queensland 
flies emerged, and between that and March 2nd 25 more Queens- 
Jand flies and 12 red parasitic wasps emerged, making a. total 
of 31 Queensland flies, and 12 parasitic wasps. Possibly the 
flies have nearly all developed, but I hope to still get a few 
more parasites. This wasp was figured and described by Mr. 
Gurney, our present Government Entomologist in his report of 
the work done at Narara in connection with the Insectarium 
between 1908 and 1911, and a full description of it can be seen 
in his Bulletin, No. 55, November, 1915, entitled “Fruit Flies 
and other Insects attacking Cultivated and Wild Fruits in New 
South Wales.” 
This small wasp, by the aid of its long ovipositor, punc- 
tures, and lays an egg in the fly maggots in much the same 
way as the fly does a peach. The young larvae, when hatched, 
feed internally on the larvae of the fly, leaving the vital organs 
till last, to enable the work of pupation to go on sufficiently 
to provide a pupal shell, which in turn serves as a pupal cover- 
ing for them. Nothing can be seen of the working of the 
parasite from the time the egg is laid till the adult emerges 
from what appears to be a normal fly pupa. I have put a few 
of the adult wasps away with a quantity of fly larvae to see 
if I can rear some artificially. On account of pressure of 
business at the February meeting, this exhibit was held over. 
Since that 5 more Queensland flies have emerged, and 2 
more parasitic wasps, making the totals: Queensland flies 36, 
parasitic wasps 14. 
MIMICRY. 
By E. C. Cutsnoum, M.B., Ch.M., R.A.O.U. 
In the great struggle for existence going on in the animal 
world many expedients are adopted for protection. Nature has 
endowed many forms with special apparatus for self-defence. 
We may divide these into active and passive methods; as an ex- 
ample of the former, we may take the stings of insects, the 
poisonous spines of fish and the venom apparatus of snakes. The 
passive method may be divided into two types: in one of which 
the animal relies on its hard protective covering for its defence, 
as in the case of crabs, tortoises and turtles, the spines of Echidna 
and the armour of the Armadillo. In the event of being at- 
tacked, these animals offer a more or less passive resistance. In 
the second type, viz.: mimicry, the animal relies for its protec- 
tion, on its resemblance to nearby natural objects to defy de- 
