29 



lirst ii(':irly white, but tlicy bpriniie stveiiish aii<l brown. When full grown, 

 tliey adhere b.v a glutinous secretion to tlie leaf, the bod.v harden.s and con- 

 tracts, forming a half cylindrical iiuparium. from which, after a time, the adult 

 emerges. 



We have our.selves seen an onthreaU of the iilnni aphis overcome by the 



larv;i> of Siirpliiis ribessii. F.ib. In cases where the aphis causes the leaf to 



curl, it is almost impossible to reach them with insecticides, and these 



liurasites are then of the greatest value, and we cannot estimate the vast 



imi)<)rtance of their .services, because we do not observe them at their work. 



In fact, they are suppo.sed b.v some peojile to be the cause of this curling of 



the leaves, as it sonietinics occurs that the larva' will be the only living 



things found on tliese leaves, they having made a <-leaii sweep of the true 



<lepredators. 



* 

 The Tachina tlics and closely allied species are shajied and coloured ranch 



like our common house ll.v, but are usually larger and heavier bodied. Tbe.v 



attack other insects in a different manner from the S.vrphus flies, the female 



placing her eggs on tlie surface of the skin of caterpillars and many otlier 



larvie which feed in expo.sed )>ositions. The eggs are somewhat elliptical in 



outline, flattened, and of a whitisli colour, adhering tenaciousl.v when once 



stn<-k upon the victim, and as the parent fly takes especial pains to place thein 



<in iiarts of the body of the lar\:i where it cannot reach tlieni. the eggs are 



probably seldom displaced. From these eggs .young maggots soon hatch, 



eating their way downward through the shell of the egg and through the skin 



of their host into the fatty parts of the body, upon which tbey subsist, after 



the manner of the young hymen opterous larvjie. The empty shells cover the 



w(junds caused li.v the maggots eating tlirough the skin, thus saving the life of 



the victim for a still worse fate. T'suall.v. onl.v a limited numlier of these eggs 



are placed upon each larva, the number varying from about four to eight or 



ten. A case, however, came under our observation where the astonishing 



nuniliir of 22S eggs h.-iil been placed upon a single caterpillar of the handmaid 



moth, JJutaiia angusii. Drury. The caterpillars of this species are some years 



\'ery abundant, and defoliate our shade trees, especially the walnut. They are 



often attacked by myriads of a sjiecies of Tachina, and pursued on the ground 



and among the grass and weeds in the vicinity, often four or Ave flies being 



engaged in chasing a single caterpillar. These last are frequentl.v a sight to 



behold, and from five caterpillars we have reared over fifty adults. — Insect 



I'linisilcs. F. M. Webster. 



The following are some of the beneficial insects found in the Province: — ■ 



AriiKi.ixrs : fi'SCIpex>'ls (How.). 



Is a common eiaMuy of armoured scales. The gencr.il characteristics of 

 fiineiiteiinix are well shown in the accompan.ying figure of a clo.sely allied 

 species. (Fig. 1.) Tills parasite has been raksed in large numbers in Califor- 

 nia. ;\lr. Alex. Craw reports it as doing very effective work in the ueighbour- 

 liood of Los Angeles. 



