26 



margined with yellow, and with a yellow stripe down the middle. Abdomen and legs 

 black, covered with grayish hairs. 



Is found throughout the United States and Canada, but more abundant northward 

 and westward of the Carolinas, extending to near the base of the Rocky Mountains. In 

 the south it is replaced by lemniscata, a species closely resembling vittata, but difl'ei-s in 

 having another white stripe. This species has been tested, and has been found fully equal 

 to veskatoria as a vesicant. 



8. Epicauta cinerea — Forster. — Black, closely punctured, and clothed with gi-ayish 

 hairs ; beneath clothing dense, upper surface variable. Head sparingly hairy. Thorax 

 densely punctured, sometimes entirely covered with gray haii's, often with a large triangu- 

 lar central space black, divided by a grayish line along the middle. Wing-cases finely 

 punctured, and either entirely grayish or margined with grayish all around. 



Occurs all over the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, and in many parts 

 of Canada. In the Southern States it becomes larger, with the wing cases entirely gray ; 

 fully equal in strength to veskatoria. 



9. Cantharis veskatoria — Linn. — Colour, above and below, a beautiful shining golden 

 green ; head, thorax and wing-covers closely punctured ; antennaj black. 



Found most abundant in Sjialn, Italy and the south of France ; also found in all the 

 temperate parts of Europe, and in the west of Asia. 



10. Cantharis imlnerata — Lee. — Body black; head orange yellow, sometimes with a 

 broad black stripe down the middle ; wing-cases black. 



Extremely al)undant throughout the entire Pacific region west of the Sierra Nevadas. 

 Dr. Horn has seen bushels of this insect in some localities literally strewing the ground ; 

 also very common on a species of Baccharis ; he has experimented with them and found 

 them powerfully vesicant, and producing strangury very readily when taken internally in 

 the form of tincture. 



11. Cantharis NuttaUi — Say. — Head deep gi-eenish or golden green ; antennae black ; 

 thorax golden green with a polished surface, and a few small scattered punctures. Wing- 

 cases golden purple, striped with green. Body beneath green, polished ; thighs pur- 

 plish, feet black. This large and beautiful insect is extremely abundant in Kansas and 

 Colorado. 



12. Pyrota mykibrina — Chev. — Entire body and legs dull ochre yellow. Thorax with 

 two, sometimes four black spots ; wing-covers with three transverse black bands, divided 

 in the middle by the suture, the anterior one being sometimes further divided into four 

 spots ; knees and feet black. 



Found from Kansas to Mexico, and is abundant throughout the whole region. 



13. Tergrockra erosa — Lee. — Body and legs black ; head and thorax reddish, the 

 former with a deep groove ; wing-covers bright yellow, their surface roughened with coarse 

 reticulations, with a median and apical black band, which in some specimens are wanting. 

 Abundant in Southern California and peninsula of Lower California, on a low herbaceous 

 plant with a blue llower. 



In all these species the female is more valuable than the male, especially when well 

 distended with eggs, owing to the relatively larger proportion of the soft parts. Eggs 

 have the same power as the other soft parts ; the blood Dr. Horn believes to be more 

 active than any otlier portion. 



Having referred in detail to the perfect insects, it is now proposed to sketch their 

 history, as far as known, through the earlier stages of their existence. 



The life history of Meloe, which has been well worked up in Europe, may be taken 

 as a type of all the species mentioned, since all the facts accumulated on this subject point 

 to a similarity in the character of the transformations and habits, which in the vesicating 

 insects are very remarkable. 



In the 20th volume of the " Linnean Transactions," there is a. memoir on the natural 

 history of Mcloe, from which many of the following facts are derived. 



The Mekie, beetles, when fresh from their pupa cases in spring, are feeble, moveslowlj', 

 and have their boilies small and contracted, but after feeding a few days these enlarge 

 greatly, the abdomen of the female expanding to twice its original size, owing to the enor- 

 mous quantity of ova within its body in process of development. The abdomen will then 

 measure an inch or more in length, and appears to be dragged along with difficulty. They 



