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breeding a species of Chrysopa the past summer from the infested 
maple trees. The eggs were found in great numbers attached to the 
limbs and leaves, upon the long pedicel which is their customary way 
of depositing. The larvae are voracious by nature, and it takes only 
a short time to dispose of many such small creatures as the lice ; their 
white, spherical, silken cocoons can he found upon the leaves in July, 
from which the imago emerges; they are commonly called lace¬ 
winged flies. They are beautiful little creatures, with green bodies, 
lace-like wings and golden eyes. When handled they emit a disa¬ 
greeable odor. 
Unlike the three species of lady-birds mentioned above, the matured 
insect takes no part in the destruction of the bark-lice other than 
that of depositing eggs for the continuation of the species, but to the 
larvae we look for the immediate benefit derived. 
Beside these were found two species of Reduviidas, and a species of 
mite, the names of which I am unfamiliar with. 
Parasite. —Early in the spring months small circular holes were 
seen in many scales of the acericola, the insect of course dead. It was 
apparent that a small parasite had been at work, and by carefully 
watching the young lice during the summer, I observed many scales 
turning black during August, and on the 13th was rewarded for my 
patience by finding in my breeding jars small Hymenopterous para¬ 
sites of the well known Chalcid family. The larva of the Chalcid 
had been living in the small lice and only destroyed life when chang¬ 
ing to the chrysalis from which it emerges as the true insect, through 
the dorsal side. Only one parasite is found in each insect and they 
are exceedingly minute. 
Dr. Asa Fitch describes a parasite very similar on the Lecanium 
quercitronis, Fitch, in his 5th New York Entomologist report, page 805, 
as follows: 
“ Often a round hole will be noticed in these smaller scales, perfora¬ 
ting them near one end. This hole is gnawed by a minute parasite, 
which has fed internally on the insect, and completed its transforma¬ 
tion beneath the scale. Of five of these pupae scales which were 
gathered on the first day of June, one was found to be already perfor¬ 
ated. From another, the parasite came out five days afterwards, and 
a second specimen made its exit from another of the scales five days 
later. This same parasite also destroys the male pupae of seme of the 
other species of this genus. It pertains to the family Proctotrupidse y 
and appears to belong to the genus Platygaster. It may be named P. 
Lecanii, or the scale insect parasite. It is quite small, measuring 0.035, 
and to the tip of the wings 0 05. It is shining black with its scutel 
pale yellow, and appearing like a large crescent shaped spot of this 
color placed cross-wise upon the hind part of the thorax. Its legs are 
white with the thighs black, except their opposite ends. Its abdo¬ 
men is slightly smaller than the thorax and shaped like the bowl of 
a spoon, being deeply hollowed on the back and convex beneath. Its 
antennae are thread-like, with the joints cylindrical and three times 
as long as thick, the last one not enlarged". Its wings are clear and 
glassy, strongly reflecting the colors of the rainbow. They are 
wholly destitute of veins, except a rib-vein running parallel with the 
