90 The Irish Naturalist* May, 



stances, prove troublesome to the forester or tree-grower in 

 Ireland. It may be stated at the outset that the number of 

 species i:! tlie country altogether probably does not exceed 

 twenty at the most. In the list of Irish beetles compiled by 

 Johnson and Halbert^ twelve species onl}' are given. In 

 addition to these, two species have been found b}' the writer 

 within the last year or two, and possil)ly a close search would 

 disclose more. The most notable omission from the list is the 

 Elm-bark Beetle {Scolytzis destmdor) probabl}' the most 

 common of all species throughout the Midlands and South of 

 England and Wales, but too easily noticed to have escaped 

 observation had it existed in Ireland. While this .species is' 

 comparatively harmless, however, the same cannot be said of 

 the Pine Beetle \Hyl2i7-g7is phiiperda) probably the QwXy 

 member of the family which can be regarded as really in- 

 jurious. Scarcely a pine plantation in Ireland can be seen 

 which has not suffered at one time or another from the borings 

 of the mature beetle into the living shoots of the current or 

 preceding year, while every felled log is quickly infested by it 

 for breeding purposes. Two features in the life-history of this 

 beetle are of interest : first, its habit of wintering in fallen 

 shoots, and second, its occasional use of the Spruce for breed- 

 ing purposes. In Ireland, the former is undoubtedly a common 

 occurrence, although the general!}- accepted view on the 

 Continent is that it hibernates in the thick bark of standing 

 trees, and it is possible that climatic conditions may affect 

 these habits. Two years ago it was found breeding on spruce 

 logs in Wicklow, a rare occurrence in any part of Europe, and 

 regarded by Eichhoff as a debateable point. 



The extent of the damage done by the Pine Beetle is difficult 

 to estimate, but in bad attacks in plantations less than fifty 

 years of age a permanent decrease in height growth is in- 

 evitable, and a number of stems are certain to be more or less 

 crooked. All species of pines are liable to injur}' in the shoots, 

 but possibly Finns insignis suffers more than any where it is 

 exposed to attack. Trees repeatedly attacked by this insect 

 are permanenth- ruined so far as timber production is con- 

 cerned, and the crowns acquire a characteristic shajje, some- 

 ivhat as if they had been pruned or trimmed by shears, which 

 has earned for the l^eetle the title of "Forest Gardener"' in 

 German forestry. 



2 Proc. Koyal Irish Academy (3), vol. vi., 1902. 



