170 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the larva; and, being called away from home just at this time, I found 

 on my return that the larva had gone into chrysalis, and in a few days 

 afterwards, the perfect beetle emerged, and proved to be a very light-col- 

 oured specimen of Mysia 15 punctata Oliv. (Fig. 35). This beetle, as 

 may be seen from the engraving, varies very much in its perfect form, so 



CC* 



FIG 36. 



much so, indeed, that a careless or unskilled observer would never imagine 

 that these four insects belonged to one and the same species. 



PERILLUS CIRCUMCINCTUS, Say. 



This insect (Fig. 36) belongs to the Heteroptera 



Hemiptera, or true Bug family. It was brought to 



QX^ "b /jBr/Y me by a friend, who had detected it in the act of 



killing a Colorado Beetle larva, by piercing the soft 

 body of the larva with its long rostrum or beak. 



I placed this insect also in my glass-covered 

 box, and watched its operations, and mode of attack. It moved very 

 quietly, and attacked the larva with a sudden dart of its sharp-pointed 

 beak. The larva, of course, struggled with all its power, yet it never 

 seemed at all to loosen the hold of the bug, which rather astonished me, 

 for I am at a loss to see what enables the beak to be retained so firmly ; 

 for, as far as I can ascertain, the beak is tolerably smooth, and easy of 

 withdrawal if the bug is willing. Yet, when I attempted to take the 

 larva off the beak, I had to use some slight degree of force. The bug, 

 moreover, has a curious fashion of planting himself squarely and firmly 

 on his feet, with the beak raised nearly horizontal, and the victim poised, 

 or spitted on it, and writhing about quite clear of the ground. 



I had the curiosity to weigh the bug, and also a larva which I saw it 

 attacking, and the larva was very nearly as heavy as the bug, and yet it 

 seemed no exertion to the bug to raise its victim on the point of its beak, 

 and hold it suspended there while it sucked out the contents of the body. 



Whether the close confinement of the box was not calculated to pro- 



