THE PINE DESTROYER. 215 



ways. Many of the shoots, for example, have produced perfect cones, 



which show that the vigour of the tree is unabated. Their tissues 



are healthy, the bark is uninjured, new year's growths abound, and 



there is every appearance of vitality and development. So far from 



being afraid of the resin the beetles seem, when attacking living trees, 



to make specially for the newest shoots, entering the branches near 



their extremities, and penetrating right into the growing bud, 



despite the flow of resinous sap. My experience permits me 



fully to endorse the notes on the economy of Hylurgus, given in 



Miss Ormerod's Manual — " In their first stage — that is, whilst they 



are still feeding as maggots — they do little harm, this part of their 



life being rarely passed in healthy trees ; it is after they are 



developed that the real work of destruction begins. Then they 



pierce a Uttle round hole through the bark at the end of their 



burrow, come out through it, and fly to the neighbouring trees, 



where they may be found (during autumn) in great numbers, 



boring into the young shoots," and doing them great injury. 



Mr. Lindley, who supplied Curtis with the material employed for 



describing this insect in his British Entomology^ thus writes 



respecting his own researches : — " For the purpose of observing its 



proceedings more narrowly I placed a shoot of the Scotch Fir 



under a glass with the insect. In about three hours after it had 



just begun to pierce the bark at the base of one of the leaves ; its 



mandibles seemed chiefly employed, its legs (the tibiae of which 



are provided with very strong spinous projections to enable it to 



press securely downwards) being merely used as a means of fixing 



itself more firmly. Four hours after its head and thorax were 



completely buried in the shoot, and it had thrown out a quantity 



of wood which it had reduced to powder, and which nearly 



covered the bottom of the glass. In sixteen hours more it was 



entirely concealed, and was beginning to form its perpendicular 



excavation," etc. When the insects are disturbed in their 



tunnels they are usually sluggish or dazed, and I have never seen 



them attempt to fly when opened out. They rather endeavour to 



conceal themselves by running into their burrows, or hiding from 



view. As the young shoots fall to the ground they bring with 



them the beetles which are lodged within, and during the winter 



the insects hibernate in these shoots, in the moss and undergrowth 



