THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 143 



basal third, another at the basal two-thirds, and a smaller one just before 

 the apex. Cilia of fissure ochreous with a tinge of brown just beyond 

 the middle and some white hairs near the apices. Cilia of inner margin 

 pale ochreous, with a white patch at about the middle of posterior lobe, 

 beyond rather dark brownish with a streaklet of white just before the 

 apex. Hind wings brown, cilia slightly paler ; third lobe on basal half 

 pale brownish ochreous. On the inner margin of third lobi just behind 

 the middle is a small patch of dark brown scales in the cilia, and from 

 this to base of wing extends a row of slender club-shaped white scales. 

 Under side of wings brownish ochreous. Alar expanse, 17 mil. Texas, 

 G. W. Belfrage. Described from one example taken May 22, 1879. 



NOTES ON A PARASITE OF PYRAMEIS CARDUI. 



BY CAROLINE E. HEUSTIS, CARLETON, ST. JOHNS, N. B, 



I send you a few specimens of an insect which I have found parasitic 

 on the larvee of P. carduL For several successive summers I have reared 

 a number of these caterpillars, with which our thistles in most seasons 

 abound. I observed variations in size and color of the larv^ found feed- 

 ing on the same plant, which led me to suppose that they might not belong 

 to the same species. I have always observed that a large proportion were 

 almost black, and much smaller than those from which 1 had obtained 

 good specimens of cardui^ but until the last summer my efforts to raise 

 these were not attended with success, all the small black larva; dying 

 before they had attained their full growth, although they fed well for a time. 



Last season I collected from a group of thistles of the same species 

 fifteen caterpillars, and put them in breeding boxes. They all ate vor- 

 aciously and one after another went into chrysalis, except two, which died 

 on the bottom of the box, after having made several ineffectual efforts to 

 suspend. Those which died were black. I carefully marked those which 

 I supposed other than cardui as they suspended, and watched for the 

 advent of the butterflies. I observed that the chrysalids of the black 

 specimens were bright golden, and smaller than those of the bright and 

 healthy-looking larvae. The chrysalids of the latter were grey, ornamented 

 with white stripes along the sides. 



