25 



are attacked by another insect, which Mr. Mitchell thinks to 

 be Lamia amputator. There is a figure of it in the Linnean 

 Transactions ; its color is a pale grayish-yellow, the elytra 

 spotted with little red points. I have not seen the insect 

 yet ; but its ravages are too evident to be unnoticed by 

 the most common observer. No less than thirty branches 

 with their leaves have been counted under a single little bush. 



c5 



The number of these insects must be enormous, but their 

 mode of propagating their species is different from that of Sten- 

 ocorus putator. The female bores a hole through the bark of 

 small branches for each egg, and having deposited five or six 

 on these sticks she saws them off, or nearly off, and they fall to 

 the ground, where they dry with the leaves on, whilst the 

 parent stem is entirely destitute of foliage. How long the 

 eggs remain in that state I know not; for even now I find 

 them as they were last fall, just under the bark, which is 

 slightly raised at that place, the aperture being closed with a 

 thin pellicle. I will watch those which I preserve and give yoii 

 the results of my observations. 



You probably have in your collection a species of Cicindda 

 which I gave you; it is from Pennsylvania; its color is a fine 

 green, and its elytra have white dots and curved bands. By 

 some mistake I had, till lately, thought it was described ; but I 

 am certain it is not in Fabricius, and Say has not mentioned it 

 any where to my knowledge. Will you look at it, and tell me 

 what you think about it ; I will not send my paper till I hear 

 from you. Since writing to you I have found among many 

 other interesting insects another species of the same genus ; it 

 is allied to C. marginalia or purpurea of Fabricius and Olivier, 

 and possibly Mr. Say would include it among the many varieties 

 of that species ; but I think it has a right to independence ; the 

 head and thorax are of the brightest green, and the elytra are 

 bright purple, nearly crimson, with an abbreviated band and 

 terminal spot. The edge is green as in C. marginalis, but the 

 color much brighter; in a word, it is one of the most bril- 



