264 
NATTJBAL HISTOEY OF 
being embellished with agreeable combinations of 
scarlet, azure, and golden green, with a high de- 
gree of lustre. They are strictly herbivorous ; and 
as many of them are gregarious in their habits, 
they sometimes occasion much injury to herbaceous 
plants, by stripping them of their leaves. About 
thirty different kinds inhabit this country ; of these 
perhaps the most beautiful is named 
CHRYSOMELA CEREALIS. 
PLATE XXX. Fig. 3. 
Linn, Syst. Nat.-— Fair. Syst. Entom . — Donovan's Brit. In- 
sects , iv. pi. 115. 
It is of a brilliant coppery red above, with parallel 
stripes of blue along the thorax and elytra. The 
under side of the body and the antennae are usually 
brownish, at other times inclining to purple. The 
wings are of a fine scarlet colour. It is found on 
the common broom, and is not uncommon in some 
parts of the Continent. In this country it is very 
scarce, and was long regarded as a doubtful native ; 
but the recent occurrence of several examples in 
Wales has removed all uncertainty on this point. 
