18 THE WESTERN HEMLOCK. 



Melanophila, probably M. drummondi, which is closely allied to M. fulvoauttata, a 

 destructive enemy of the Hemlock in West Virginia. An undetermined Cerambycid 

 bark-borer was found associated with the Buprestid larva? in Hemlock and Red Fir, 

 but the evidence pointed to the Buprestid as having made the first attack." 



These bark-infesting enemies are again referred to by me in the Forester, Volume 

 VII, October, 1901, page 251, as follows: 



"The Douglas Spruce bark-borer (Asemum nitidum Lee), the Western Hemlock 

 bark-beetle (Hyksinus tsiigse Hopk. MS.), and the Western Hemlock bark-borer 

 (Melanophila drummondi Kirby), infest the living bark, and either kill the trees or 

 cause gum-spots in the wood of the Douglas Spruce and Western Hemlock in Oregon 

 and Washington." 



They are again referred to in the Proceedings of the Society for the Promotion of 

 Agricultural Science, 1891, pages 66, 67, under the head of "Some Insect Enemies of 

 Living Trees," as follows: 



"The Western Hemlock bark-beetle (Hyksinus tsug& Hopk. MS.) attacks the living 

 trees, and either kills them or causes defects known as gum spots in the wood of the 

 Western Hemlock. It is found at Newport, Oreg., and Port Angeles, Wash. 



"The Douglas Spruce bark-borer (Asemum nitidum Lee.) is a. round-headed bark- 

 boring grub, the larva of one of the long-horn beetles. It was found to be a very 

 common enemy of the Douglas Spruce and Western Hemlock in western Oregon and 

 Washington. The healed-over wounds in the living bark cause gum-spot defects in 

 the wood, and the trees die from successive attacks. 



"The Western Hemlock bark-borer (Melanophila drummondi Kirby) is a medium- 

 sized flat-headed bark-boring larva of a Buprestid beetle. This insect excavates 

 shallow winding burrows through the inner layers of bark of living Hemlock and 

 Douglas Spruce. It was observed from California to northern and eastern Washing- 

 ton and western Idaho. This is a very common enemy, killing the largest and best 

 trees or causing serious gum-spots in the wood of those which survive its attack." 



BORING BEETLES. 



Among the wood-boring beetles and fiat and round headed wood-boring grubs, 

 there are numerous species which cause more or less injury to the wood of living, 

 dying, and felled trees. The wood-boring beetles cause pin-hole defects and bluing 

 of the wood, which result in considerable loss to the manufacturer of lumber from 

 this tree. 



Much of this loss can be prevented by removing the bark from the logs of trees 

 which are felled or remain in the woods for some time after the 1st of April, since, 

 as a rule, most of these insects will attack only trees and logs which have the 

 bark on. 



It is the intention to make a special investigation during this summer to determine, 

 if possible, the exact species to blame for the defoliation of the Hemlock and Douglas 

 Spruce in western Oregon and Washington. Further investigation will also be made 

 of the other insect enemies of the Hemlock and other forest trees of that region, 

 the results of which will appear in a forthcoming bulletin of the Division of Ento- 

 mology. 



A tradition around Grays Harbor accounts for the disappearance of 

 the insect that defoliates the Hemlock by affirming that the females 

 are wingless, and, as the immense numbers rapidly destroyed the food 

 supply, were unable to travel fast enough to reach fresh pastures 

 before the males had eaten everything clean. This story is of some 

 interest, inasmuch as there are species of Geomterid in which the 



