14 THE CANADIAN ENT().M( )L()(;1ST. 



Of the Coccinellidre examined, animal food constitutes hut little more 

 than one-third of the whole, the other two-thirds consisting of 45 percent, 

 of the spores of fungi, 4 per cent, of those of lichens, and 14 per cent, of 

 pollen. Prof. Forbes has laid all who are interested in this subject under 

 grateful obligations to him for his valuable contributions to our knowledge 

 in this department. ^ 



DESCRIP'riON OF THE PRKPARATORY STAGES OF 

 PYRAMEIS ATALANTA, Ltnn. 



in W. H. KDWARDS, C( >AI,ia'K( iH. \V. VA. 



( Coiiiiiiiit'ii JroiJi \'ol. 14, p. 2^4.) 



i)X I'HK I AK\"AI. HAI'.rrs. 



The habits uf these larv;^ in Eiuopc may not improbably differ in some 

 respects from the habits in America. ( )ur hot summers, as compared with 

 England, at least, may compel more or less change. With us, speaking of 

 my own district, and of the False Nettle, Boehmeria, as the food plant, the 

 eggs 1 l)elieve to be always laid on the young terminal leaves, as Dr. Har- 

 ris states is the case with the Nettle. L'rtica. 1 come to this conclusion, 

 not because 1 have found eggs on the termi)ial leaves, for I do not remem- 

 ber that 1 ha\e e\er found an egg of Ata/aiita laid by a free female; but 

 because the lar\ie, in hrsl stage, have alwa\s been observed on these 

 leaves. I have re]>eatedly obtainetl eggs from females tied in bags over 

 the food. plant. ( )n ist Aug.. 18S r. aipwards of loo were so obtained. 

 'I'hey were laid eserywhere. on leaves, stem and bag. When the larvce 

 hatched, those on the lower leaves made an effort to reach the upper ones, 

 and finding these occupied, accepted any position they could get, turning 

 u]) the side of a leaf when necessar\. Several lived on the same leaf, 

 each in its own case however. l!iu in a free state, the young larva has 

 always lieen found by me on the \er\' small terminal leaf, which it has 

 closed u]) from the base. Dr. Harris savs : ••It spins a little web to 

 C07'er itsc//, sir///-i//x' Hie tin-caih all an>innl to the ot^i^rs of the leaf, so as 

 to bend up'-a' arils the sides, and Joi'ni a hind of ti-ony^li. in -ichieli it remains 

 eoneealed. One end of the eai'lty is left open, and thron^^h this the eater- 

 pillar thrusts its head lohile feedin;.:;." This does not ])roperly describe 

 the proceeding on Boehmeria. ( )n this the newly hatched larva begins at 



