134 



No. 2 I hardly can tell what to call, unless it is a coarctate cocoon or pupa, for this 

 is within the dried larval skin. The imago of this is a long-antennaed parasite with 

 yellow legs and the size of Meteorus hyphanfruc. This is not surely the Ichneumon 

 spoken of in Bulletin No. 10 as LimneriapalUpes. I found those in the webs. No. 3, 

 the greenish secondary, was bred from this cocoon or pupa. Besides this green sec- 

 ondary I have bred large numbers of small Idack parasites No. 4, from both Meteorus 

 hyphantrlce and these coarctate pup;e. Inclosed will also be found some pupal shells 

 of a fly taken from Mud-dauber cells. Though very numerous, I cannot rear the 

 perfect fly on account of the little black secondaries found inclosed with them. 

 How do these flies gain access to the cells of the Mud-dauber, or do they deposit 

 ovse in sjiiders that the cells are filled with? Are the cocoons inclosed (No. 5) those 

 of Apanieles hyphantricp ? If so, I have bred the same species from the Fall Web- 

 worm, from a large green larva, probably that of Sphinx 5-maculata, and a species of 

 fall larvie with tufts of yellow hair. I find the cocoons in the webs of Hyphantria 

 cunea. — [A. N. Caudell, Indian Territory, September 23, 1891. 



Reply. — No. 1 is Meteorus hyphantria. (No. 2) is a Hyphantria larva parasitized 

 by Limneria. The greenish secondary parasite (No. 3) is one of the species o{ Ptero- 

 malus and the small black secondary (No. 4) is Elasmus atratus. The parasite from 

 the fly puparia from the Mud-dauber's cell is extremely interesting. It is Melittobia 

 pelopmi. The great interest attaching to this rearing arises from the fact that the 

 species of MeUtobia have heretofore been reared only from hymenopterous insects. 

 The eggs may be laid before the cells are closed by the wasp, or the adult female 

 may gnaw through the cell. The cocoons (No. 5) are those of Apanteles hyphantria!. 

 The species which you reared from the Sphinx larva is iTudoubtedly difl^erent, 

 although belonging to the same genus. It was probably Apanteles congregatus. 

 * * *— [October 8, 1891. 



Notes on California Insects ; the Vedalia and other Ladybirds. 



I inclose a box containing insect work and specimens. On the grounds of one of 

 our citizens I noticed on a small tree of California Laurel ( UmbeUuIaria calif arnica) , 

 a peculiar folding of the points of many leaves, so as to form a triangular-shaped 

 little house for some insect. I opened a few of them and found a little brown or 

 black beetle about one-sixteenth of an inch long. Then I found another Ladybug, 

 much larger, ocher color; then another, I think, six-stabbed. 



My impression is that some spider had folded the leaves, spun a web-like cocoon, 

 and the Ladybugs have cut into it to get the spider or the eggs. — [L. D. Morse, M. 

 D., Califoruia, September 10, 1891. 



P. S. — The place from which these specimens were taken is one of the finest 

 in this vicinity. Two years ago it was completely covered Avith the Icerya. When 

 Mr. Koebele came down here we planted the Vedalia there. The result has been 

 wonderful — the place is now almost clear of the pest. 



The owner of the place says I ought to have a pension for the good I had done, 

 but I told her that it was the Entomologist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture 

 that deserved the credit. I was only a helper to carry out what had been started 

 by others. 



Reply. — * * * j ^^^ unable to decide whether the peculiar folding of the 

 leaves of the Laurel is the work of the spiders, the webs of which some of them 

 contain, or the tent-houses or protections constructed by Tortricid or Pyralid larvae 

 in which to spin up and pupate. 



Both spiders and Lepidopterous larvse construct retreats of this kind, and if the 

 latter are the architects of the ones sent, the spiders and ladybirds were doubtless 

 present to prey upon the larvae or pupae of the Lepidoptera. 



You can probably tell by an examination of the fresh leaves whether a lepidop- 

 terous larva has any connection with the work or not, and if you find anything of 

 interest I shall be glfid to have you furnish us with specimens. 



