COLEOPTERA. 575 
few, as the Striped Squash-beetle, bore in the roots or stems 
of plants. 
This is a large family, of which about six hundred 
North American species are known. The following il¬ 
lustrations will serve to show the variations in form and 
habits : 
The Long-horned Leaf-beetles, Donacia (Do-na'ci-a).— 
These are the common Leaf-beetles that are liable to be 
mistaken for Cerambycids. They are of elongated form, 
with slender antennae (Fig. 700). They measure from a 
quarter to a half inch in length, and are of a me- 
tallic color—either greenish, bronze, or purplish. 
The lower side of the body is paler, and is clothed 
with very fine hair which serves as a water-proof j 
coat when the insect is submerged. The larvae f«g. 700 . 
feed upon the roots or in the stems of aquatic plants; and 
the adults are found on the leaves of the same plants. We 
have many species, but they resemble each other so closely 
that it is difficult to separate them. 
The Three-lined Lema, Lema trilineata (Le'ma tri-lin-e- 
a'ta).—This insect is common, feeding on the leaves of 
potato. The beetle is a quarter of an inch long, yellow, 
with three black stripes on the wing-covers. The eggs are 
laid in small clusters on the leaves. The larvae feed on the 
leaves, and can be easily recognized by a habit they have 
of covering their backs with their own excrement. They 
transform in the ground in earthen cells. There are two 
broods each year; the second hibernates in the ground as 
pupae. 
The Asparagus-beetle, Crioceris asparagi (Cri-oc'e-ris as^ 
par'a-gi).—This is a small, red, yellow, and black beetle, that 
gnaws holes into the heads of young asparagus, and lays oval, 
black eggs upon them. The larvae, which are small, brown, 
slug-like grubs, also feed upon the young heads in the 
spring, and later in the season a second brood feed upon 
the full-grown plant. Figure 701 represents a head of as- 
