COLEOPTERA. 575 



few, as the Striped Squash-beetle, bore in the roots or stems 

 of plants. 



This is a large family, of which about six hundred 

 North American species are known. The following il- 

 lustrations will serve to show the variations in form and 

 habits : 



The Long-horned Leaf-beetles, Donacia (Do-na'ci-a).- 

 These are the common Leaf-beetles that are liable to be 

 mistaken for Cerambycids. They are of elongated form, 

 with slender antennae (Fig. 700). They measure from a 

 quarter to a half inch in length, and are of a me- 

 tallic color either greenish, bronze, or purplish. 

 The lower side of the body is paler, and is clothed 

 with very fine hair which serves as a water-proof 

 coat when the insect is submerged. The larvae FIG. 700 . 

 feed upon the roots or in the stems of aquatic plants ; and 

 the adults are found on the leaves of the same plants. We 

 have many species, but they resemble each other so closely 

 that it is difficult to separate them. 



The Three-lined Lema, Lema trilineata (Le'ma tri-lin-e- 

 a'ta). This insect is common, feeding on the leaves of 

 potato. The beetle is a quarter of an inch long, yellow, 

 with three black stripes on the wing-covers. The eggs are 

 laid in small clusters on the leaves. The larvae feed on the 

 leaves, and can be easily recognized by a habit they have 

 of covering their backs with their own excrement. They 

 transform in the ground in earthen cells. There are two 

 broods each year ; the second hibernates in the ground as 

 pupoe. 



The Asparagus-beetle, Crioceris asparagi (Cri-oc'e-ris as- 

 par'a-gi)--This is a small, red, yellow, and black beetle, that 

 gnaws holes into the heads of young asparagus, and lays oval, 

 black eggs upon them. The larvae, which are small, brown, 

 slug-like grubs, also feed upon the young heads in the 

 spring, and later in the season a second brood feed upon 

 the full-grown plant. Figure 701 represents a head of as- 



