1865.] 



211 



centre of the thinly scattered outer fibres it has formed a closely-woven, 

 subspherical cocoon, very smooth exteriorly, of a light gray color, about 

 the size of a No. 1 shot, slightly prolate-spheroidal. This specimen had 

 only four legs in the larva stute, the anterior and middle legs of the 

 dextral side were wanting, probably lost by accident. Greatest diame- 

 ter of cocoon .16 inch., least .125 inch. These measures were taken 

 from several pupae gathered from the field. 



Oct. llth. — The imago has appeared with all six legs complete; 

 those wanting in the larva are of full size and perfect with the others, 

 making about one month in completing the transformation. 



The subimago escapes from the cocoon by opening a lid at one end, 

 and in all the specimens which I bred — about two dozen — I observed 

 a very thin transparent pellicle near by, so light that it may be readily 

 blown away by the slightest breath of air. The perfect insects, on an 

 average, lived about ten days in confinement without food. 



Nov. 29th. 30th and Dec. 1st. — I saw a number of this and other 

 species of Chrysopa voluntarily flying, the weather being quite warm, 

 so much so that the ground, which, during the severe cold weather of 

 the past three weeks, was frozen to the depth of eight inches, has en- 

 tirely thawed out, so that ploughs are running. It is probable that the 

 perfect insects survived that cold weather, and if so, they may live 

 during the winter, in which case the farmer has much to hope from 

 this insect in suppressing the ravages of the chinch-bug, that of all in- 

 sects the most injurious to the agriculturist in this region at the present 

 time, and at all events we hope that many will pass the winter in the 

 pupa state, as I have some in that condition in my breeding boxes, 

 although most of them matured. Judging from what I observed during 

 the past summer, we have good grounds to hope that ere long it may 

 prove one of the most effective means of exterminating the chinch- 

 bus:, in connection with other insects that I observed to feed on them 

 also at the same time. In some specimens the middle of the thorax 

 and top of the head are much inclined to light yellow, in others creta- 

 ceous; in the very young imago the top of the head is light green, and 

 the posterior part of the abdomen appears of a cloudy dark color fr.'im 

 being semitransparent, showing partially the contents of the intestines. 

 In some specimens I find the anterior lateral spot of the prothorax very 

 faintly visible or entirely wanting, in others blackish ; all of which in 

 other respects coincide with the typical specimens, and probably are 

 identical. I observe one or two among my dried specimens having a 

 faint reddish spot on the side of the neck; if it is not this species, per- 



