STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 425 



CURRANT. STALKS. 



place. A few years since I made a partial investigation of the 

 insects which occur in diseased potatos. Among these I met 

 with excessive numbers of mites, mostly pertaining to two differ- 

 ent species. Within a few days past having received from M. 

 Guej'in Meneville his paper upon this same subject, published in 

 the Bulletins of the Royal and Central Society of Agriculture, ] 

 observed that two species of mites were here described and figured. 

 On comparing these figures with the sketches which I had hereto- 

 fore taken, their coincidence was apparent on a moment's glance, 

 rendering it evident that these two little creatures which resided 

 in myriads in my own cellar were identical with those found in 

 the same situation in the distant city of Paris. 



Tlie mite which occurs in diseased currant stalks, appears to 

 be unlike anything which I find mentioned by authors. It has a 

 considerable resemblance to the longer mite [Tyrcglyphus longior^ 

 Gervais) which has been discovered in company with the cheese 

 mite in the rind of old cheese, but the head here is much larger 

 and tlie thorax longer, so that the abdomen forms but two-thirds 

 of the length of the insect. A slight but very distinct constric- 

 tion separates the thorax from the abdomen and a more slight one 

 divides tlie head from the thorax. The head is shaped like an 

 egg and from its anterior end two small very short bristles project 

 forward like little horns. Two longish bristles project backward 

 from tlie tip of the abdomen, and there are two shorter ones upon 

 eacli side of these and another standing directly outward upon 

 each side of the abdomen towards its base. The legs are of equal 

 lengtli, rather slender and cylindric, each having near the tip a 

 longish ])ristle standing outward. When walking tlie four hind 

 legs are wliolly hid as the insect is viewed from above. 



Many liundreds of these mites may sometimes be met with in 



their winter quarters, heaped together in a mass in the luwer end 



of tlic cavity which has been excavated by a borer. On lu-inging 



thciii into a warm room they immediately awake to lite, all 



moving their legs but showing no disposition to separate and 



crawl away. 



IIJ?«i. AMPUTATi.Vfi HHOCADK yioTii , J fiidena auiputatrix, ncw species. (Lcpi- 

 (lo|)tcr:i. Xootuitluj.) 



The latter part of May, severing by night the young succulent 

 stalks of currants, roses, &.C., a cut-worm 1.50 long, of a brownish 



