iEGERIDS. 
13T 
JEGERIDJE. 
Glass-wings. 
The moths belonging to the family JEgeridce are rather small, 
and are readily distinguished from all other moths by their resem¬ 
blance to bees and wasps. They have narrow, mostly transparent 
wings, long bodies, with a fan-shaped tuft of hairs at the posterior 
end, and spindle-shaped antennae. Most of the species are gayly 
colored and all are diurnal in their habits. The larvae are borers in 
the stems and roots of trees and shrubs, and do a great deal of dam¬ 
age to some of our cultivated fruit trees. They are grub-like, whitish 
creatures with brown heads. Some kinds are sparsely covered with 
fine hairs. The transformations usually take place in the excava¬ 
tions made by the larva, where a rude cocoon is constructed by 
cementing together fragments of wood. The pupa is armed with 
minute spines on its abdominal rings, and when about to break the 
shell makes its way out of the cocoon and along the passage 
to the opening previously made by the caterpillar. Here the moth 
escapes, often leaving the empty shell protruding from the hole. 
Melittia cucurbit*. 
Melittia cucurbitce is our largest native species of this group, and 
expands about an inch and a half. The upper wings are black, the 
lower ones transparent, edged with a fringe of long hair-like scales. 
The abdomen is orange with a few black dots, and the posterior pair 
of legs have long orange and black hairs. The larva infests the 
squash, cucumber and melon, living in the interior of the vine and 
devouring its substance. 
Another species familiar to cultivators of peach and plum trees 
from the destruction caused by the larva is JEgeria exitiom. The 
male and female moths differ greatly in size and general appearance. 
The male has all four wings transparent, the veins and margins 
being steel blue. The body is also blue, with a yellow tuft at the 
extremity. In the female moth the fore wings are dark blue and 
opaque, while the hind wings are transparent, and the abdomen is 
