418 STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



CURBANT. STALKS. 



to be the same insect with the supernotatus of Say is in reality a 

 very different species pertaining to Dr. Leconte's new genus 

 Euderces. How they have come to be pronounced the same it is 

 difficult to understand, since Olivier explicitly states that the 

 antennae of Pini are longer than the body, whilst Mr. Say informs 

 us they are shorter than the body in his species. Olivier's figure 

 a of Pi7ii is a very correct representation of the insect as it appears 

 to the naked eye. His enlarged figure b is much less accurate, 

 especially in the coloring and in placing the posterior white band 

 too far forward. His description of this insect shows this enlarged 

 figure to be inaccurate, and coincides so perfectly with my speci- 

 mens as to leave no doubt respecting the species to whicli the 

 name Pini belongs. The Piniadeus of Fabricius is evidently the 

 same insect described more briefly and much less accurately. 

 Both authors doubtless drew their descriptions from the same spe- 

 cimens, as they both cite the cabinet of Bosc as containing the 

 insect they describe, which insect was found upon pine trees in 

 the neighborhood of the city of New- York Olivier states, whilst 

 Fabricius gives Carolina as its locality. The latter is probably 

 correct, as I have never met with this insect in New-York, and 

 know it only from specimens sent me from west of Arkansas by 

 Mr. Wm. S. Robertson. 



The whole length of the dead currant stalks and their branches, 

 from the buds at their tips down to the surface of the ground is 

 commonly found to have been mined by these borers. The hol- 

 low in the branches is usually but not always continued down 

 Into that in the centre of the main stalk. At least a foot in 

 length of the pith appears to be required to support one of these 

 worms and bring it to maturity. They are particularly fond of 

 the younger and more tender stalks, and these being small have 

 their w^hole interior ate away almost or quite out to the bark, so 

 that they resemble hollow straws or sticks that have been con- 

 sumed by white ants so that merely an outer shell remains. And 

 not unfrequently a portion of the upper end of the stalk is broken 

 off, from being so much weakened. Tlie worm hereuj^on essays 

 to plug up tlie opening thus made, with its sawdust-like chips, to 

 prevent rain from entering its cell and to exclude spiders and 

 other enemies. Sometimes a greater number of worms are placed 



