INSECTS WHICH PJtEY UPON AGRICULTURAL PLANTS. 95 



of a pale yellow colour, about one-third of an inch in length. 

 There are three broad black stripes down the back. The egg is 

 deposited at an early stage — May or June — on wheat, and the 

 Younof mao-gots, which are of a dark oranire colour, and about 

 one-fourth of an inch in length, eat into the stalks and ears, and 

 thus cause the planL to become stunted and barren. They change 

 to pupae in the same place, and become hatched in September. 

 They also infest rye and barley, sometimes seeming to prefer 

 these. 



Syrpliiis halteattis. — One of the useful flies, the larva living 

 on aphides. It is longish and slender, with two little horns in 

 front, and resembles a small bee in general appearance, but the 

 abdomen has yellow-edged segments. It is about half an incli 

 in length. There are two other allied species, viz. : — Syrphua 

 pyrasiri and Syrphus ribesii. These are larger, and bear a still 

 greater resemblance to bees or wasps. The maggots are mostly 

 green, thick at tlie tail and small at the head; the pupte are 

 horny and pear-shaped, and attached to walls or plants by the 

 tail. 



L E P I D P T E R A. 



This order comprises the butterflies and moths. The mouth 

 is suctorial, the spiral trunk or " antlia" being easily seen as a 

 curled-up process below the " face ;" the caterpillar, however, is 

 provided with masticatory "jaws." The wings are four in 

 number, covered with modified hairs or scales. Antennae con- 

 spicuous. The butterflies are diurnal in their habits, the moths 

 mostly crepuscular or nocturnal. 



Pieris hrassiccc (the White Cabbage Butterfly). — This is the 

 well-known white and yellow butterfly, the caterpillar of which 

 is common on cabbages in gardens. The two antennic are black, 

 the upper wings are tipped with black, the body also is covered 

 with black down, and a long proboscis is curled up below the 

 head. The female deposits her eggs on various Crucifers — 

 cabbages, turnips, mustard, rape, &c. — in little yellow clusters 

 on the under side of the leaf, where they hatch into " kailwonns," 

 striped with yellow, black, and green. When full grown they 

 change into chrysalides, and these may be found attached to 

 walls or under ledges, where they remain dormant till the 

 spring. 



There are two other allied species which resemble this one 

 very much in ap])earance, but are smaller — Ficris rapa; the 

 "Small White" or "Turnip P.utterlly;" and J'ieris napi, the 

 "llape Seed" or " (J reen- veined Wliite Butterfly." Both of 

 these lay tlieir eggs singly on the under sides of leaves, and the 

 caterpillars are greenish, tlie former with yeHow stripes, and the 



