781 
No. 145. | 
Later in the season I have known young plant-lice to be de¬ 
stroyed by newly born aphis-lions. And although the fact is 
indisputable that plant-lice are the chief food of this family of 
insects during their larva state, they are by no means so limited 
in this respect as is represented in the accounts heretofore pub¬ 
lished. They appear to seize and devour worms of different 
kinds with the same avidity that they do the plant-lice. I have 
more than once seen them devour the maggots of the Syrphus- 
flies which were feeding upon the plant-lice on the same leaves 
with them. And a few days ago I placed in a box with a newly 
captured aphis-lion an imbricated gall which is formed by a 
species of midge ( Cecidomyia ) at the summit of the stalks of the 
golden rod, having first torn off the outer valve-like leaves of this 
gall until I came to one of the larva; residing in it. The aphis- 
lion immediately began to examine this gall, and coming to the 
maggot, instantly grabbed it, sucking out the contents of its skin 
with an evident relish. With his long jaws he then commenced 
probing the fissures between the remaining valves of the gall and 
soon found another worm so deep between the valves that he 
could only reach and pierce it with one of his jaws, and thus he 
remained stationary until he had sucked the fluids of this worm, 
the point of the unemployed jaw being pressed against the outer 
surface of the gall during this operation. His proceedings at this 
time plainly showed the purpose, I think, for which Nature has 
furnished these larvse with such remarkably long slender sickle¬ 
shaped jaws, namely, to probe narrow crevices and small holes 
and fissures—the situation in which a portion of their prey lurks. 
The dexterity with which he insinuated sometimes one, at other 
times both of these instruments between the valves of the gall 
showed he was no tyro in operations of this kind. He even 
crowded the valves somewhat apart, at times, to reach further in 
between them. Whether these larva; are able to separate the 
chaff surrounding a kernel of wheat sufficiently to insert their 
jaws therein to destroy the larvse of the wheat-midge (C. Tritici ), 
I have not ascertained, though I should judge them capable of 
doing this. If so it may be possible to turn the labors of the 
aphis-lion to a most valuable account in restraining the ravages 
of this insect which is making such appalling havoc in our wheat 
