178 EEPOET UPON COTTON INSECTS. 



habits of these larvae (feeding, as they do generally, upon smaller insects, 

 or, at all events, upon insects of but slightly larger size than themselves), 

 to attack so large an object as the chrysalis of the cotton worm ; but Mr. 

 Glover has placed on record a similar iustauce. He says: 



The perfect lady-bird, also destroys Aphides, but not iu such numbers as their larvae 

 in which state it also destroys the chrysalis of the butterfly (Aryynnis columlriiia) seen 

 so often in the cotton fields. I have repeatedly observed them in Georgia killing the 

 chrysalides of this butterfly, which hung suspended from the fence-rails and on the 

 under side of the boughs of trees and shrubs. It appears to attack the chrysalis 

 chiefly when soft and just emerged from the caterpillar skin. It is in this state that 

 these wandering larvae attack it, and, biting a hole in the skin, feed greedily upon the 

 green juice which exudes from the wound. Sometimes, however, it becomes a victim 

 to its own rapacity, for the juice of the chrysalis drying up in the heat of the sun 

 quickly forms an adhesive substance in which the larva is caught, and thus detained 

 until it perishes. 



It is probable, however, that the destroying of the cotton -worm chrys- 

 alis by lady-bird larvae is only of exceptional occurrence. In addition 

 to the evidence already given, Mr. J. H. Krancher of Millheim, Tex., in- 

 forms us that the lady-birds destroy the eggs of the cotton-moth, and 

 Dr. E. H. Anderson mentions them among the cotton-worm enemies. 



We figure the only vegetable-feeding lady-bird in order that those in- 

 terested may know what it is, and not consider it a beneficial species. It 

 is known as Epilaclma borealis, Thunberg. It is much larger than any 

 before mentioned, is of a light redish yellow in color, with 

 seven large black spots upon each wing-cover. The thorax 

 is of the same color and has four small black spots. The 

 head is concolorous with the thorax, and the eyes are black. 

 Both the larvae and perfect insects feed upon the leaves of 

 cucumbers, melons, squashes, and pumpkins eat unsightly 

 laclma bo- holes in them, and, when numerous, completely destroy the 

 realis. plant, Another beetle, of injurious proclivities, is often mis- 

 taken for a lady-bird by the planters, although it belongs to an entirely 

 different family. This is the twelve- spotted Diabrotica, Diabrotica duo- 

 decim-punctata, Fabr. This insect is shown at Fig. 33, and 

 certainly does resemble Coccinella to the untrained eye. The 

 principal points of difference between it and the common 

 Hippodamias, which it most resembles, are that the Dia- 

 FIG. 33. Dio- brotica is usually greenish, varying occasionally to yellowish ; 

 brotica 12- that it has twelve black spots arranged in parallel rows 

 punctata. f | own ne wing-covers, and that the thorax is green and un- 

 spotted. The twelve-spotted Diabrotica belongs to the family Chryno- 

 mclidae, or leaf-eating beetles. Dr. Packard states that they devour 

 the leaves of dahlias, and Professor Riley has found them gnawing 

 melons, squashes, and cucumbers. 



In the next order, LEPIDOPTERA, it would be fair to suppose that the 

 cotton-worm had no enemies, since predaceous insects are extremely 

 rare in this Order. In point of fact there are probably but three true 



