108 [AsSEilBLT 



" Please find inclosed a few bugs for identification. The}' are very 

 injurious to young apple-trees. I noticed a few days ago, sap run- 

 ning profusely from the bodies of many of my young apple-trees, 

 whose trunks averaged from one to two inches in diameter, and, on 

 examining, found punctures or round holes extending horizontally 

 and perfectly straight, less than one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, 

 and extending to the center and often beyond, and one of these 

 bugs sticking out of the entrance of each, with tail pointing out, 

 completely tilling the entrance on a level with the bark. On 

 attempting to hook them out, they would run into their holes 

 toward the center. Around the entrance, there was also a slight 

 ring of excrementitious matter, or extremely fine wood-dust made 

 from boring. I found as many as eight in a very small tree, which 

 have so depleted it from loss of sap, as to check the expanding buds. 

 These holes are several inches apart, commencing just above the 

 ground, and running irregularly up the trunks to the first limbs. I 

 detected more on the limbs. I inclose also a small piece of bark, 

 with the perforation and the dead bug that was in it." 



"Please find inclosed a section of a limb of one of the trees killed 

 by these bugs. This piece contained one live bug, and I wrapped 

 it up in several thicknesses of common newspaper. In one night it 

 cut through all, and I thought it was gone, but after splitting^ I 

 found it still in the burrow ; so I thought it best to kill it. You 

 will find the dead bug still in the burrow. I found that these do 

 not always run horizontally to the center and there end, as I sup- 

 posed, but extend much farthei", and at different angles, so that the 

 bug is enabled to turn itself; in fact they also run indifferent 

 directions, in the shape of a Y, and it is only at these divergences 

 that they can turn, in the same manner as a locomotive. I have 

 about a dozen trees badly injured, and half of them will probably 

 die. I caught a good many bugs, but they are so small that they 

 would blow or drop out of my hand, and I never could find them 

 on the ground after dropping. The leaves of the infested trees are 

 small, one-tenth of their natural size, and look as if they had been 

 scorched. Many buds are only half opened, and beginning to dry. 

 The greatest injury seems to be in tlie loss of sap, in early spring, 

 when the sap becomes sufficiently warm to get there and run." 



The beetles first sent were crushed in pieces, but the fragments 

 were identified as Xyleborus pyri (Peck). The second sending of 

 the beetle, within its burrow, was in good condition, and confirmed 

 the identification. 



The beetle is described by Harris as of a deep brown color, with 

 the antennae and legs of the color of iron-rust. The thorax is short, 

 very convex, rounded and rough before ; the wing covers are mi- 

 nutely punctured in rows, and slope off very suddenly and obliquely 

 behind ; the shanks are widened and flattened toward the end, be- 

 set with a few little teeth externally, and end with a short hook, 

 and the points of the feet arc slender and entire. It measures one- 

 tenth of an inch in length. 



