Packard. USTSECTS OF THE GARDEN. 53 



unchecked by its ichneumon parasites or by birds, which are 

 preser-ved iu Europe, where with us they are either brutally 

 murdered, or neglected if allowed to Jive. 



The European Cabbage butterfly {Pleris rapce Schrank) 

 is, however, a hundred fold more formidable insect, as it is 

 fearfully abundant where it occurs, and the caterpillar feeds 

 inside of the cabbage head when forming. 



It was introduced from Europe to Quebec about the year 

 1857, having been captured in 1859 by Mr. Bowles, of that 

 city. It rapidly spread into New England along the differ- 

 ent railroads leading in from Canada, and is now common 

 about Boston and New Yorlc and has reached "Washington. 

 About Quebec it annually destroys $250,000 worth of cab- 

 bages, according to the Abbe Provancher. It is evident 

 that, in this newly arrived insect, w^e have another formidable 

 pest added to our list of imported insects. 



The male butterfly (Fig. 41) is white, with the tips of the 

 fore wings black, dusted with white, while on the fore wings 

 is a single, and in the female (Fig. 42) there are two large 

 black spots, situated two-thirds of the distance from the 

 base to the outer edge of the wing. It expands about two 

 inches. The female lays her eggs singly on the under side 

 of the leaves. The caterpillar (Fig. 43, a) is green, and so 

 densely clothed wdth minute hairs as to be velvety ; it has a 

 yellowisli stripe down the back, and another along each side, 

 the belly being of a paler, brighter green ; it is often more 

 than an incli long, and about as thick as a large crow-quill. 

 It changes in September under some board or stone, to a 

 chrysalis, suspended by a thread spun over the back, as 

 r.hown at Fig. 43, b. It is of a pale flesh-brown colcr, 

 freckled witli black. It does not appear to have been very 

 destructive in Europe, but, like other introduced species, it 

 suddenly becomes a fearful scourge. The best remedies arc 

 e\idently hand-picking when the caterpillars can be seen, 

 iind the capture of the butterflies by means of a light gauze 



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