IIYMENOPTERA. 
127 
parasites, but perhaps the Lepidoptera are the most 
common victims. Their ravages amongst the Hemiptera , 
as the aphides, are also very considerable ; and even 
the spider, the fly’s deadly enemy, is itself subject to 
the attacks of the Ichneumon. The Cabbage-eating 
grubs—the larvae of the white butterflies—are often in¬ 
habited by a host of minute Ichneumon larvae ( Micro - 
gaster glomeratus ); were it not for these little parasites, 
hardly a cabbage could be saved. After the Microgasters 
have consumed as much of the caterpillar as they 
wish, they pierce through its skin and form cocoons, 
leaving the victims to die. Their little yellow silk- 
cocoons are miniature likenesses of those of the silk¬ 
worm, and must be familiar to many who, perhaps, do 
not know what they are. They .appear as clusters 
attached to walls, posts, etc., containing perhaps a 
hundred or more cocoons. I must not forget to men¬ 
tion that the Ichneumon lame infesting the bodies of 
caterpillars, feed only on the fatty matter of their 
victims, carefully avoiding the vital organs till they are 
ready to assume the pupa state. Some of the larger 
perfect insects are most interesting to watch; they seem 
so bold, active, and intelligent, with their large bright 
prominent eyes, and their long elegant antennae, which 
they keep constantly moving about, leading one to 
believe that they must be organs of great importance. 
The perfect insects are not, as a rule, carnivorous in 
their habits, but feed on the nectar of flowers, and the 
honey dew found on the surface of leaves. They are 
active fliers. 
The Chalcididcc contains a great number of species, 
generally of a very small size, and of splendid metallic 
