BY W. MACLEAY, F.L.S. 537 



country in the summer season to find a gum tree without a few 

 of these insects grazing on it. But, though very widely and 

 generally distributed, this is the first instance I believe recorded 

 of one of the family being found in such multitudes as to cause 

 the entire destruction of large areas of forest. Mr. Wilkinson's 

 discovery shows, however, that such cases occur, and the question 

 will naturally arise in many minds : " May not the hitherto 

 unaccountable death of gum trees over large areas in different 

 parts of the country be due to the occasional superabundance of 

 the leaf-eating Orthoptera ? Among the many causes suggested 

 for the dying out of the gum tree over large areas, as may be 

 seen for instance throughout a large portion of the Lake George 

 Basin, I have heard the opossum named, and this probably, 

 because observers may have noticed the dying trees looking as if 

 their leaves had been eaten ; but I never could believe that an 

 animal which, like the opossum, is fond of travelling long 

 distances at night in search of food would fix himself to leafless 

 trees for a period long enough to cause their death. But Mr. 

 Wilkinson's Phasma clearly does denude trees completely of their 

 leaves, and it is inevitable that a tree submitted to such a process 

 for two or more consecutive years must die. 



From what is known of the habits of the Phasmatidce, I should 

 say that they are the most likely of all insects to retain their 

 position on a tree or in a mass of trees as long as they possibly 

 can, and that when their food supply is exhausted by the death 

 of the tree, they drop to the ground and die. Many of the 

 Phasmatidce, no doubt, have wings, and Mr. Wilkinson's species 

 rather large ones ; but, unlike their saltatorial and migratorial 

 brethren, the Gnjllidce and Locustidce, they seldom use them, and 

 never take long flights. Among the Phasmatidce most, if not all, 

 the adult insects die at the beginning of winter, dropping off the 

 trees as soon as the frosts set in, but they have previously 

 fastened their egg-cases securely on the upper branches, so that 

 the warmth of spring produces an abundant crop of young to 

 complete the destruction commenced by their parents. 

 II 



