DISPERSAL OF J,. DECS M UN RATA. 37 



Department of Agriculture it is reported from Jefferson, Marion County, 

 Texas, in April, 1880, and St. Agatha, Manitoba, in August. 



/<?<?/. In 1884 the beetle was recorded in Manitoba from Manchester and 

 Dufferin Counties and from Portage la Prairie, which would indicate that 

 it was spreading rapidly in the northwest. In the St. Lawrence Valley, 

 especially near Quebec, its numbers were said to have shown a marked 

 decrease during the four years between 1880 and 1884 (Can. Ent., vol. xvi, 

 p. 207, 1884). 



1885. Although from the south the records are meager, the spread in 

 that direction has shown many features of interest. From 1874 or 1875, 

 when the beetle had reached the middle of Virginia along the Allegheny 

 highlands, until this year, 1885, it had spread very slowly southward, and 

 even more slowly along the coast than elsewhere ; but in this year, May 10, 

 it was found at Savannah, Georgia, on Wilmington Island (Cor. Div. Ent., 

 U. S. Dept. Agr. ). It was certainly imported into this place, probably in 

 the hold of some vessel, where it had become imprisoned while the vessel 

 lay at her dock in some northern port. Although it was fairly abundant 

 there this year, no further records of it are available until March, 1887, nor 

 from that date until five years later. 



1888. For the Mississippi River Valley notes of occurrences are even 

 more rare than for the Atlantic slope. F. M. Webster records the beetle in 

 this year from Jackson, Mississippi, on hearsay evidence, although the 

 record is probably valid. It was also found in Tyler, Smith County, Texas 

 (Cor. Div. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr.). 



i88g, In 1899 Phares sent specimens to the Division of Entomology, 

 United States Department of Agriculture (Insect Life, vol. 11, p. 22), from 

 Madison Station, Madison County, Mississippi. At that time this was the 

 southernmost point from which the beetle had been recorded. 



i8go. Earle reported it from the middle of Mississippi in this year, but 

 said that it had not reached the southern part of the State (Insect Life, vol. 

 in, p. 84, 1890). 



1891. In the extreme southwest it was found in Las Cruces, Donna Ana 

 County, New Mexico (Townsend, Insect Life, vol. iv, p. 26, 1891), where 

 it was not uncommon. In the correspondence of the Division of Entomology, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, it is recorded from Birmingham, 

 Alabama, in July, and from Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Caro- 

 lina. Concerning the latter occurrence the following facts are on file : Hon. 

 William G. Le Due, in reply to questions from L. O. Howard, states that 

 the beetle first appeared there in abundance in 1891, so that he places 1890 

 as the date of introduction. They were plentiful therein 1892, 1893, aQ d 

 1894, but less so in 1895. On the authority of Colonel Broadfoot, " Potato- 

 bugs appeared here four or five years ago" (July 1, 1895). 



