240 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



butterfly. This mischievous wasp we have called Ichneu- 

 mon asterice, and the co- 

 ^^°"^^ '■ coon from which it issues, 



which is properly that of 

 the Papilio asterias, is 

 represented at Fig. G7. 

 How the female ichneu- 

 mon knows that the cat- 

 erpillar in which it de- 

 posits an egg has not 

 been already pierced by 

 another insect, and why 

 it only deposits one csrs; 



The Asterias Ichneumon-fly. •' ^ ^^ 



in the body of each lar- 

 va, is among the mysteries of nature that we can not fath- 

 om, much less explain. 



The Gold-wasp {CJmjsis) belongs also to the numerous 

 family of Ichneumons. It is distinguished by its splendid 

 colors, having a cylindrical yellow abdomen, with a green 

 neck and head. It is a little larger than a common fly. 

 If you take one in your hand, it will bend the abdomen 

 downward until its extremity reaches the head, giving the 

 insect the appearance of a ball or coil. Its sting is harm- 

 less, and it deposits its eggs in all kinds of larvae. Its 

 beauty, and the impunity with which it can be handled, 

 would undoubtedly make it much admired were it not for 

 its fetid odor. 



Another useful family of insects belonging to the order 

 Hymenoptera are those wasps which are called by the 

 Germans Raupent'ddter (" Caterpillar-killers"), because they 

 kill every kind of larvae, such as gi'ubs, spiders, cockroaches, 

 etc., with which they nourish their young. Of this family 

 there are several genera, of which one of the most promi- 

 nent in this country is 



The Mud- WASP {Sphex Pennsylvanica), Fig. 68. — This 



