112 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 



their juices with its beak. The result was to disfigure and sometimes entirely 

 destroy the young leaves, causing them to blacken and shrivel up. They 

 were also somewhat partial to the unopened buds, piercing them from the 

 outside and sucking them nearly dry, when they also withered and blackened. 

 Sometimes a whole branch would be thus affected, becoming first stunted, 

 then withered, next dead. Dr. Harris, in his " Insects Injurious to Vegeta- 

 tion," mentions this bug as occurring in Vermont in large numbers in 1851, 

 attacking almost every green thing and doing a great amount of mischief 

 throughout the summer. In our own case they disappeared in about a fort- 

 night, but left the trees in a very dilapidated state. Press of other work 

 prevented any remedies being used. Probably a solution of soft soap or dry 

 unslacked lime would have lessened their numbers. 



On the 10th of May I was astonished to see the young larva of the goose- 

 berry saw-fly, Nematus ventricosus, commencing its depredations on the 

 freshly expanded leaves. This was nearly a month earlier than its usual 

 time of appearing, the leaves having expanded about three weeks earlier than 

 usual. On examining the under side of the leaves rows of white eggs were 

 found in abundance in different stages of development. Those newly depo- 

 sited were very much smaller than the others, and appeared to be but slightly 

 attached to the surface, not let into a slit made in the leaf by the saw of the 

 female, as is commonly supposed ; at least I could find no traces of such an 

 operation, although I examined them carefully with a microscope. The 

 gooseberries were now in full bloom. In the second volume of the Canadian 

 Entomologist, p. 16, and also at p. 48, an opinion is expressed that a 

 cocoon of this insect found freshly made on the 29th of May was the work 

 of a larva which- had wintered over. The observations made this spring do 

 not in any way upset this idea, for the earliness of the season will account 

 for the apparent discrepancy. They will certainly prove very troublesome 

 this season they are so very abundant, and now, at the last of the month, 

 when many of the full-grown larvse have gone into chrysalis, freshly-laid 

 eggs or larvae just hatched may be found on almost every bush. Remedy — - 

 patience and plenty of hellebore, an ounce or two to the pailful, and shower 

 lightly on the bushes with a watering pot. 



There is a small caterpillar, a leaf-roller or case-maker, which is very trou- 

 blesome. It probably passes the winter in the caterpillar state, for almost 

 as soon as the buds begin to burst it begins its mischievous operations, and 

 when first observed is not usually more than half grown. It is a very small 

 thing even when full grown, being then half an inch in length, with a small 

 shining black head and a dirty brown colored body, with a few small brown 

 dots and fine hairs scattered over its surface. Its tenement consists of a 



