136 



LEAF-BEETLES. 



asparagus, and lays oval, blackish eggs upon them. The young 

 larvK, which are brown and slug-like grubs, also eat the young 

 heads early in spring, but later a second brood of them feeds upon 

 the full-grown plant. Wherever this insect occurs it causes 

 great losses, and steps should at once be taken to destroy it. 



A beetle of similar shape, the Three-lined Leiiia, {Leiiia 

 trilineata Oliv.), but of a yellow color, with three black stripes 

 on the wing-covers, is very common upon our "husk-toma oes," or 



Fig. 139.— X-ema trilineata, Oliv. After Riley. 



"ground cherries," which are frequently entirely destroyed by 

 them and their larv?e. These latter have the nasty habit of cov- 

 ering their backs with their own excrement. As they are also 

 found injurious to the potato they should be killed with any of 

 the arsenical poisons. We have two broods of this insect, the 

 second brood hibernates in the ground as pupa. This species is 

 illustrated in Fig. 139. 



THE DOMINICAN CASE-BEARER. 



{Coscinoptera doiniiiicaiia Fab.). 



This peculiar beetle is frequently found upon the leaves of 

 the plum, apple, rose, oak, and other plants. It is not especially 

 injurious, but as it is frequentl)' seen and has a peculiar life-his- 

 tory, it will be described in a few words. The name "'dominican" 

 has been cho.sen because it is neither ornate in color, being uni- 

 formly bluish-gray, nor prone to make itself conspicuous. It is 

 shown in all stages in Fig. 140. Its color is really black, with 



