SECRETARY'kS report. 109 



flattened especially toward the apex winch is truncate or squarely 

 cut, instead of being {)ointed. The claws of this genus are pec- 

 tinated or furnished with teeth like a comb, this character, how- 

 ever, can only be noted by the aid of a lens or magnifying glass. 



Ophion cecrdpicc, (so called from its being parasitic in the 

 cecropia moth, the largest of our North American species,) is 

 of a honey yellow color with hyaline wings. Several smaller 

 species measuring about three-quarters of an inch in length, 

 and from an inch to an inch and a half across the wings, 

 resemble it in color, among these are the bUinedtus, (two lined,) 

 g-emindtits, (two spotted,) and g-labrdtus, (smooth) of Say. 

 Some of these are often noticed flying about the lighted room 

 on a summer evening and striking against the ceiling ; they are 

 capable of making a slight wound with the ovipositor, but do 

 not possess any reservoir of poison to aggravate it as is the case 

 with the bees and wasps. Ophion miindvs of Say, is common in 

 bushy pastures and readily attracts notice from its shining 

 black color, and bright yellow antenna3. The wings are of a 

 uniform, smoky tint with purple reflections ; the feet, of which 

 the hind pair are the largest and longest, are varied with yellow 

 and black, the hind pair yellow from the apex of the femora 

 to the tip excepting a black ring around the tibia at its apex. 



Figure -14, (jEfarr.) represents a species of the 

 natural size and magnified, that is parasitic upon 

 the caterpillar of Chaerocdmpa pampindtrix of 

 Smith, one of the most noxious enemies of the 

 grape-vine ; the insect figured is of a polished 

 black color and of quite small size, but by the ^ig. 44. 



aid of the ovipositor (seen at the extremity of the abdomen) 

 pierces the skin of the naked caterpillar in several places and 

 deposits in each wound a minute egg. Thelarvse hatched from 

 these continue devouring the fleshy parts of the caterpillar 

 until they arrive at their full size when they emerge from its 

 body and spin each for himself a small white cocoon on the 

 surface of the skin, in which they complete their transformations 

 in a very short time and make their 

 escape by separating with their mandi- 

 bles a small round lid from the top of 

 the cocoon as seen in figure 45, (//flrr.,) Fig.45. 



which represents the caterpillar covered with a dozen or more 

 22 



