THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 145 



Miss Morton wrote i8th : "I have often found on the alder a hairy- 

 red and gray larva which produces an Apatela, and I thought the small 

 larva I first wrote you about might be that. But if you saw it and the 

 others were all like it, of course it can't be that." On 19th: " This morn- 

 ing I found what I think is a full-grown larva. It was resting in a fork 

 of the bush close to a large colony of the aphides, but while I was won- 

 dering how I should get it in my box, so high on the limb was it, the way 

 was suddenly made plain by a large ant rushing at and biting it furiously, 

 and the larva curled up and fell to the ground. I thought I had lost it, 

 but it fell on a bare spot, and here it is in a tube for your investigation , 

 together with two other smaller larvae found feeding on the aphides. 

 These vvere in a very thin web directly under a mass of aphides, and both 

 were in the act of eating, each with an unlucky aphis kicking on its back, 

 the head of the larva buried in its body. I have two more now before 

 me, and both are devouring from underneath as fast as they 

 can the swarms of aphides collected around them. There was 

 a curious creature walking up and down the aphides, pulling 

 the wool off them and sticking it on its own back. I removed it, fearing 

 it might injure the young Tarqums, such formidable jaws had he." * 



On 2 1 St: The ants do not let the larvse alone, but bite at them 

 furiously whenever they see them ; but until nearly grown the larvae lie 

 concealed under the aphides with a web covering them, and cannot be 

 got at by the ants without disturbing their cows. I went to the swamp 

 again to-day to watch these most interesting creatures, and under nearly 

 every pile of aphides found either eggs or larvae. But the larvae are so 

 covered with the wool of the aphides and their webs conceal them so 

 effectually that it is most difficult to detect them even with a powerful 

 glass. The day was cool and cloudy and I did not see a single butterfly, 

 but found about a dozen eggs and small larvae, besides two nearly as large 

 as the one I send you. There were places on the limbs of the alder 

 where evidently full-grown larvae had cleaned off the aphides. At one 

 place, the ants, a very large species, with black head and abdomen, and 

 red thorax, were in a state of great excitement, running and biting in 

 every direction, and had probably just discovered and routed a full-grown 

 larva, as a large brown spot with all the aphides cleared off showed itself 

 on the limb." 



* This creature was a larva of a Chrysopa or Lace-Fly, See Harris' Ins., plate 

 3, page 247, for habits. 



