Packard.] 
INSECTS OF THE GARDEN. 
55 
Mr. C. S. Minot, in an interesting article entitled “Cab¬ 
bage Butterflies,” in the “American Entomologist,” vol. 2, 
strongly recommends destroying the chrysalis, which may be 
found under chips, boards, stones, etc., and advises that 
boards, raised two inches above the surface of the ground, 
be placed among the plants to attract the caterpillars when 
about to change to a chrysalis. 
Mr. Curtis has described and figured several parasites of 
the three species of cabbage butterflies found in England, 
and he shows how thoroughly they keep in check these trou¬ 
blesome worms. Certain minute ichneumon flies (Chalcids) 
lay their eggs in those of the butterflies. Another Chalcid 
fly (Pteromalus brassicce ) lays its eggs on the outside of the 
chrysalis of the White Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris brassicce ), 
and sometimes two or three hundred of the little Chalcid 
maggots have been found living riotously within a single 
chrysalis. They turn into minute brilliant flies, which mul¬ 
tiply in excessive quantities. Mr. Curtis remarks that 
“some species of this extensive genus (Pteromalus), prob¬ 
ably comprising nearly one thousand species ( !) swarm even 
in our houses, especially in the country, where in' October 
and November I have seen immense numbers inside of the 
windows, and I believe that they hibernate behind the shut¬ 
ters, in the curtains, etc.” 
Fortunately for the prospects of American gardeners, we 
have a parasite (Fig. 44 a, male ; b, female ; c, larva; d , pupa) 
which already carries off large numbers of the caterpillar. 
Latety, in the middle of September, Mr. F. W. Putnam 
handed me one hundred and ten chrysalides of the butterfly, 
all but two of which were infested by these parasites in both 
the larval and pupa states; while from other chrysalides 
the adult Chalcid flies were emerging. They continued to 
emerge until late in the autumn. The infested chrysalides 
of the butterfly could be easily distinguished by the livid and 
otherwise discolored and diseased appearance of the body, 
23 
