HYMENOPTERA. 127 



parasites, but perhaps the Lepidoptera are the most 

 common victims. Their ravages amongst the Hemiptera, 

 as the aphides, are also very considerable ; and even 

 the spider, the fly's deadly enem}?-, is itself subject to 

 the attacks of the Ichneumon. The Cabbage-eating 

 grubs — the larvae of the white butterflies — are often in- 

 habited by a host of minute Ichneumon larvie (^Micro- 

 gaster glomeratus) ; were it not for these little parasites, 

 hardly a cabbage could be saved. After the Microgasters 

 have consumed as much of the caterpillar as they 

 wish, they pierce through its skin and form cocoons, 

 leaving the victims to die. Their little yellow silk- 

 cocoons are miniature likenesses of those of the silk- 

 worm, and must be familiar to many who, perhaps, do 

 not know what they are. . They appear as clusters 

 attached to walls, posts, etc., containing perhaps a 

 hundred or more cocoons. I must not forget to men- 

 tion that the Ichneumon larvae infesting the bodies of 

 caterpillars, feed only on the fatty matter of their 

 victims, carefully avoiding the vital organs till they are 

 ready to assume the pupa state. Some of the larger 

 perfect insects are most interesting to watch ; they seem 

 so bold, active, and intelligent, with their large bright 

 prominent eyes, and their long elegant antennae, which 

 they keep constantly moving about, leading one to 

 believe that they must be organs of great importance. 

 The perfect insects are not, as a rule, carnivorous in 

 their habits, but feed on the nectar of flowers, and the 

 honey dew found on the surface of leaves. They are 

 active fliers. 



The ChalcididcG contains a great number of species, 

 generally of a very small size, and of splendid metallic 



