746 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



The cabbage-butterfly, Pieris rapes. — The wings of this butterfly 

 are dull white above, occasionally tinged with yellowish, especially 



Fig- 953- — Pieris rapes, larva and pupa. 



in the female; below, the apex of the fore wings, and the entire sur- 

 face of the hind wings are pale 

 lemon yellow. In the female there 

 are two spots on the outer part 

 of the fore wing besides the black 

 tip, in the male only one (Fig. 

 954)- 



There is considerable varia- 

 tion in the intensity of the black 

 markings, and in the extent of 

 the 3xllow tinge of the wings. 



The larva of this species (Fig. 

 Q53) feeds principally on cabbage, 

 but it also attacks many other 

 cruciferous plants. Its color is the green of the cabbage-leaf, with a 

 narrow, greenish, lemon-yellow dorsal band, and a narrow, interrupted 

 stigmatal band of the same color. The bod>' is clothed with very fine 

 short hairs. 



Pieris rdpcB is without doubt the most injurious to agriculture of 

 all our species of butterflies. It is an introduced species, but has 

 spread over the greater part of this country. As it is three-brooded 

 in the North and more in the South, it is present nearly the entire 

 season, so that it needs to be fought constantl_v. The larvas can be 

 easily killed by spraying the plants with Paris green, one pound in 



Pieris rapce. 



