146 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



black mark of an hour-glass shape, or contracted in the middle, 

 reaching from the front to the thorax, which is whitish with a 

 black mark occupying the middle, in the shape of a reversed 

 W ; the elytra are red, each with a rounded black spot in the 

 centre ; the feet and body beneath black. It varies considera- 

 bly in size, one specimen in the .State Cabinet measuring .22 in 

 length and .15 in breadth, and another only .15 in length, by 

 .11 in breadth. These insects bend their feet and head 

 beneath the body when wounded, although they will generally 

 allow themselves to be taken in the hand without exhibiting 

 alarm, and will even seize and devour an Aphis, if offered to 

 them ; many of them secrete a yellowish gummy fluid, resem- 

 bling somewhat in taste and smell the juice of the Chelidonium 

 majiis or celandine, and were formerly prescribed by the igno- 

 rant as a cure for toothache. 



We have in this State twenty or more species of this interest- 

 ing and useful family, only one of which, the Epilachna bore- 

 dlis of Thunberg, or northern lady-bird, (figure 23,) 

 is accused of being injurious to agriculture. The 

 larvae arc sometimes found on the leaves of the pump- 

 Fig. 23. j,jj^ gjj(j squash, and are supposed to feed upon the soft 

 internal substance called the parenchyma. I am informed by 

 a gentleman of considerable eminence in the study of Ento- 

 mology, that he took numbers of the imagines from the interior 

 of a partially decayed squash, where they were apparently 

 feeding upon the pulp. They are not sufficiently abundant, 

 however, to create apprehension, the only locality in this State 

 where they have been noticed, so far as I am aware, being tlie 

 town of Barnstable and vicinity. 



Tlie insect is horn-colored above, Avith four small black spots 

 on the thorax, and seven nuicli larger ones on each elytron, the 

 first six arranged in two rows across, and the seventh larger 

 and more rounded than the others ; the body beneath is of sim- 

 ilar color to the upper surface, with a few faint sutural black 

 bands on the venter, and a largo spot on each side of the thorax 

 between the second and third pair of feet. It measures over 

 .80 in length, ami nearly .25 in breadth. 



The Canl/i((rid(/\, from cant/iaris,a. beetle hurtful to grain, or 

 as they are now called, Mcl6id(e^ from the typical genus 3Ie/oe, 

 of Jjiinuvus, are celebrated for their blistering properties and 



