EUPLECTRrS PARASITE OF ALETIA. 
105 
of the latter by means of a single "thread. After crawling to a distance 
of about half an inch it fastens this thread to the surface of the leaf, 
and begins its cocoon. The body of the caterpillar is dislodged in time, 
and falls from the leaf, but usually remains suspended by the connect- 
ing thread. As the parasitic grub within its body increases in size, the 
young caterpillar weakens and often falls to the ground, in which case 
the parasite climbs the nearest blade of grass and there makes its co- 
coon." 
In escaping, the fly makes a lid-covered opening in the cocoon, as do 
the other members of the genus. Mr. Schwarz is of the opinion that 
this parasite does not always kill the worm, as upon several occasions 
be raised to the perfect state worms which were scarred upon the pos- 
terior end of the body, just as if one of these parasites had emerged. 
Two secondary parasites have been bred from the Apanteles — the one 
a ( 'halcid ;1 and the other an Ichiieumonid belonging to the genus 
II em it t h s. 
CoMOTOCK's Euplectrus.— Professor Comstock, in the Ueport on Cotton 
Insects, 1ST'.), figured and quoted passages from his notes concerning 
a parasite of the Cotton Worm, which he called '< the unnamed drab-id." 
In the August (1S.S0) number of the Canadian Entomologist the species 
Was described by Mr. Howard as Kuplectrux comstoML This description 
he has somewhat revised, and it will be found in the notes. - During 
Lsso this parasite was studied by as and by different agents of the Com- 
mission in Alabama and Florida, and in t lie January (1881) number of 
the American Naturalist Mr. Schwarz gave a very full account of its 
life history. From this article we take tiie following facts: 
The egg of the parasite 18 elongate oval, strongly convex above and 
somewhat flattened beneath; no sculpture is visible under an ordinary 
lens. Its color is uniformly brown, 
and almost black just before 
hatching. The number of eggs ' ^^^^t/^^^^^tf^^^ 
laid by the female Euplectrus on - — -d^l ^ ^ 
a single < otton Worm varies from Flo ^_ A1( . tia ]arv , infrst , (1 bv !arv; , of Euplec . 
one to fifteen, the most common **»«"**o<*ii. (Original.) 
numbers being three, five, and seven. They are always laid in a group, 
the individual eggs sufficiently separate from each other to allow room 
for the development of the larvae. It seems altogether probable that the 
time required for the development of the eggs does not exceed two days. 
The Cotton Worms attacked by these parasites are usually less than 
one-third grown, but not less than one day old. The eggs of the para- 
site are laid on the middle of the back oi the worm, sometimes a little 
to one side or the other, and upon one occasion they were seen fastened 
just above one of the middle pair of thoracic legs. 
The delicate egg-shell splits longitudinally and discloses the white 
larva, which gradually works the shell down the sides of its body until, 
in less than twelve hours, it disappears below the rapidly-growing para- 
