482 



MY GARDEN. 



LEPIDOPTKRA. 



The Sixth group comprises the Scale-covered winged insects, or 



Lepidoptera, such as Butterflies and Moths. The perfect insects have 



four wings covered with beautiful scales, arranged like the slates of a 



house. The larvae are caterpillars, having six true legs and four or 



more pro-legs. In the perfect state the whole . order are beautiful, and 



probably do the gardener much good by setting his flowers ; but in 



the larva or caterpillar state all are more or less detrimental to the 



horticulturist. 



" Luxurious, others make 

 The meads their choice, and visit every flower 

 And every latent herb." — Thomson's Seasons. 



A great pest in the garden is the caterpillar of the White Butterfly 

 {Pieris brassier), and that of Pieris napi, which live on the cabbages 



and cauliflowers, and which 

 sometimes disgust us by being 

 served up with these vegetals 

 to the dinner-table. The fe- 

 male insect of Pieris brassicce 

 (fig. 1064, No. i) has two large 

 spots on the upper wings. 

 She lays her eggs (No. 2) on 

 various cruciferous garden 

 plants, and on the turnip and 

 horse-radish : the radish tuber, 

 watercress, and especially the 

 cabbage-stalk, are the prey of 



Fig. 1064. — Pieris brassicse and Pteromalus brassicsc. 



the caterpillar (No. 3), which attains the length of i^ inches. The 

 caterpillars assume the chrysalis form (No. 4), and may be found 

 fixed by a silken thread on branches or palings, from which the 

 butterfly emerges. Curtis ■ states that the chrysalis is preyed upon 

 by a minute hymenopterous insect, the Pteromalus brassicce, and I 

 have figured his drawing (fig. 1064, No. 5, and magnified No. 6). 



