118 [ASSEMBLY 



tiiuies ^0 deposit eggs, from time to time, during the five or six 

 weeks of her natural life, until about a thousand have been deposited. 

 Our correspondent might render excellent service if he would 

 inform himself if this parasite is to be fomid in other localities in 

 his vicinity, or in other portions of the State ; and if not so found, 

 if he will distribute the infested beetles and so extend the sphere of 

 operations of the serviceable little mite. It would be necessary that 

 they be sent attached to the beetle, as they die very soon after being 

 separated from their host. If some of the potato leaves are put in 

 the box with the beetles when packing them for transportation, there 

 would be less liabilit" of the mites being rubbed from them in 

 transit. 



Another Parasitic Mite infesting a Beetle, 



Dr. S. A. Russell, of Albany, N. Y., has sent to me an example 

 of Necrophorus tomentosus Web., thickly infested with a small 

 red mite which runs with great rapidity. Several of them were 

 sent to Professor H. Osborn, who is making a special study of our 

 mites with reference to a catalogue of the known species. At this 

 present stage of his studies, he was only able to refer it to the 

 genus Gamasus. He had previously obtained the same form from 

 another species of Necroj)horus. 



[The catalogue — A Preliminary List of the Acarina of North 

 America^ by Herbert Osborn, of the Iowa Agricultural College, 

 and Lucien M. Underwood, of Syracuse University, has been pub- 

 lished in the Canadian Entomologist^ for January, 1886, xviii, pp. 

 4-12.J 



A Mite Attack on Garden Plants. 



Leaves of various garden plants showing a mite attack upon them 

 were received, in September, from Miss A. Goodrich, of Utica, N. 

 T., with the following note : 



For two years past I have often found the leaves of the Calla covered with fine 

 webs spun by a small mite. Last year garden plants were affected. Leaves 

 turned yellow and flowers did not open. One root of Spiraa was almost 

 killed. I put it in a pail of warm suds for the night, and planted it in a new 

 place next day. This year it was not so badly attacked, bui; the sweet English 

 violets and the Thnnbergia in my window boxes suffered most. I tried hot water 

 of 120'^ Fahrenheit, on the violets, with success. I send specimens of the mite. 



The mite is that frequent pest of garden plants and conservatories, 

 Tetranychus telarius (Linn.), commonly known as the " red spider." 

 It owes its popular name to its habit of spinning a web, and to the 

 brick-red color which it sometimes assumes — the color which so often 

 brings it under the notice of horticulturists. It may, however, pre- 

 sent a great variety of shades of green, brown and red, dependent 

 to quite an extent upon its food-plants, although occasionally found 

 to ofier different colors upon the same plant. 



