AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
368 
Fig. 1—Golden Eyed Fly of the Apple Blight. ( Chyso■ 
pa Eriosoma), magnified. The cross lines on the right 
show the natural size. 
Microscopic Views of the Insect World. V. 
BY MRS. CHARLOTTE TAYLOR. 
Chrysopa Eriosoma- 
THE GOLDEN EYED FLY OF THE APPLE BLIGHT. 
Another friend is here introduced to your ac¬ 
quaintance, one whose services render her well 
worthy of protection and admiration. She shows 
us beauty on the wing when she passes us in gar¬ 
den or field. The splendid colors of her body 
scintillate like rays thrown on us from a passing 
rainbow. Her eyes are composed of bars of gold 
through which we seem to have a peep at the 
setting sun with all the purple shades of evening 
intermingling, and her airy, finely meshed wings, 
violet, green, or yellow, just as the light falls on 
them, make a Summer’s noon more resplendent 
by their presence. Nothing can be more varied 
in beauty and splendor than many insects of this 
family. 
The Chrysopa is a subgenus of the Hemerobii— 
the Chrysopa Perla of Linnaeus being the type in 
Europe. It may be distinguished from the Hem- 
erobius by the greater brilliancy of color in the 
wings and body, the comparative freeness of the 
body from hair, the more brilliant lights when 
in motion, the irregularity of the veins and ner- 
vures on the wings, and lastly by the scientific 
distinction—the joints of the antenna;, the first 
having them moniliform (globular) the latter fili¬ 
form, the joints cylindrical. There are several 
other subgenera belonging to this family, dis¬ 
tinguished by the joints and the position of the 
antennae to which I shall return at some future 
day. Forty two varieties have been named by 
Dr. Pitch, all belonging, I believe, to the State of 
New York alone. Those yet to be found in the 
Eastern, Middle, and Southern States, will present 
an inexhaustible classification to the future ento¬ 
mologist. No season hitherto has passed with 
me but several new varieties have been seen, 
showing to what instruments of Divine bounty 
we are indebted for crops, fruits, and flowers. 
The inestimable value of these little creatures 
can never be comprehended by us, until they are 
withdrawn or diminished; then, be assured, 
scarcity, if not positive famine, will be our por¬ 
tion. 
The specimen here shown, Fig. 1, is not so bril¬ 
liant as some of her associates, still it is very bright 
and showy. In one light it appears a pale green, 
turned round it becomes purple, again it is almost 
a red. I felt very desirous to find out by what 
means these prismatic colors were produced. 
After many fruitless experiments, I took a hot 
needle, and singed ofT the fine hairs on the body, 
which all this family have ; it then presented be¬ 
tween the'segments a bright purple, the rings of 
the segments were bronzed yellowish green, and 
'>*> hairs were lucid and yellowish. Thus as you 
turned the insect, the light falling on different 
portions threw the colors of the body up, and gave 
their shading to the hair. The tenth segment, 
(decaton; and the last, (telum) had their rings 
reddish which added this hue to make up the va¬ 
rious colors reflected from this small surface. 
The wings obtain their shades from the colors of 
the nervures and veins—the thorax is of a bril¬ 
liant emerald green, with a number of small yel¬ 
low hairs over it. The brilliancy of the eyes is 
caused from the cornea being intersected with 
bars of various colored pigments, which, varying 
in density, form between the cornea and the crys¬ 
talline cylinders an iris or light, rather I may say 
a uvea or paint like that which we see in our 
own eyes, allowing the light to pass through ac¬ 
cording to the position in which it is placed. It 
is desirable you should remember this dissec¬ 
tion, as the process is the same in the shading of 
all the orders (except the Lepidoptera) only vary¬ 
ing in quantity and intensity when alive, but after 
death it is difficult to get any radiations at all, 
except where the colors are fixed, as on the wings 
of beetles, etc. 
She deposits her eggs in the same manner as 
the Hemerobius, Fig. 2. Sometimes there will 
be clustered three or four together, and attached 
with threads of gluten ; this is early or very late 
in the season, when gales are frequent, and you 
may suppose them attached thus for security. 
This Chrysopa and some others, from their 
habits, must constitute a subgenus of themselves 
when more of them are classed. I have myself 
made them one containing several varieties. 
They have many differences, the principal is hav¬ 
ing larvae which must feed under cover; the others 
are not so constituted. These are found solely 
among the cottony Aphides or “ Blight.” As 
they devour them, they toss their dead skins 
over on to their backs, in a few moments a lar¬ 
va, clear before, will resemble nothing but a lump 
of cottony fibers, Fig. 3. If you relieve them of 
this covering with a straw, they will hasten away 
from the air until it is renewed. They are cov¬ 
ered with short, strong hairs on which these car¬ 
casses get pinned until they are eight or ten deep. 
They feed longer than other larvae of this family, 
and you would be amused to watch them in Sep¬ 
tember on the apple trees, wallowing about under 
Fig 3—The larva with its covering, 
such a load of cottony fiber, and the carcasses of 
their victims. At the last segment or (telum) 
there is always hanging a long thread of silk. Fig. 
4, which answers for a fastening when the winds 
are high and they are likely to be blown away. 
Besides, this segment has the power of suction, 
with which, in storms, it holds on to the branches 
[September, 
with more strength than it could do with its legs' 
and mandibles together. On fine days, when the 
winds are high, you may see them by hundreds, 
like pigmy witches hanging in this manner from 
Fig. 4—The naked larva with its thread. 
the branches for the purpose of having the wind 
to relieve them of some of their covering which 
has become too weighty, as seen at /, Fig. 5. 
It spins its cocoon ip the same manner as the 
Hemerobius, except that the ends of it, g , Fig. 5, 
and the pupa case, h, Fig. 5, are divided or cut 
off, which, when the fly has emerged, appear like 
lids attached with hinges of silk, which really is 
the case: both are coarse on the outside but much 
better finished within. The pupa is likewise 
necromorphous, of a faded green hue, all its 
parts in different sheaths, its antenna; and those 
resplendent wings being curled and doubled up 
in a marvelously small space. The coming forth 
of this large fly from so small a space is a phe¬ 
nomenon of Nature well worthy of study. The 
difficulty of emerging from the wrapping skin as 
it becomes an Imago, is more serious with them 
than with the Hemerobii. They are not so strong 
either in the larva or perfect state, but are quite 
as useful. Both of these flies have two genera¬ 
tions during the season, remaining in the larva 
state from two to three weeks. They select 
more secure places for their cocoons where they 
remain over the Winter, and you may find many 
of these coarsely fabricated white hybernacula 
placed between the fissures of the bark on fruit 
trees. From that which I have here culled from 
Nature’s vast store house for your amusement 
and instruction, I trust you will henceforth grant 
them protection and respect, and not pick them 
from their snug quarters with a sharp instrument, 
Fig. 5— g, The cocoon, h, The pupa case. f, The lar¬ 
va sustained on a branch by the suction of Ihe tetum 
as I have frequently seen done. Be assured you 
are giving vast scope and comfort to your enemies 
by such cruelty—destroying with your own hands 
the blessings offered to counteract future evil ; for 
these likewise belong 
“ To the useful, and the beautiful/’ 
----- 
Absconding Bees.— Thomas Armstrong, Wy¬ 
andot Co., O , inquires how he may prevent bees 
leaving after having been hived. He states that 
he has lost several stocks in this way. By 
watching the hives closciy a short time, it can be 
pretty well determined whether they intend to re¬ 
main. In that case they will at once commence 
building comb, and a peculiar rubbing sound can 
be heard upon applying the car to the side of the 
hive. If, however, they hang about idle, as if 
discontented with their new home, they are prob¬ 
ably meditating removal. Then close the en¬ 
trances so that only worker bees can pass, to con- 
„ oJ in .1 
