PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGY. 437 



foveas of the second segment deep, transverse, and somewhat oblique ; apical 

 segments smoother, and shining; ovipositor not exserted. Length 7 lines, 

 expanse of wings 11 lines. Habitat, New York and Illinois. 



I find the antennas in the males are without the white rings. They are brown 

 or black, and taper towards the tip. The punctures are more thickly set in the 

 male. The areolet is distinctly 5-angular. The front tibiae and all the tarsi 

 are pale. A brown or reddish ring marks the base of each femur, which is 

 very distinct on the posterior legs. With these exceptions the male is much 

 like the female as described by Mr. Cresson, The sex organs are of course 

 different. 



The best way to destroy this pest and to save our currant bushes, is to prac- 

 tice judicious pruning early in the spring. All stalks attacked by borers will 

 show by their dead tips or diseased appearance that they are suffering from 

 attack. These should all be cut off and burned. Such pruning will insure 

 better fruit and healthier finer bushes even were there no borers; and unless 

 such thinning is practiced our currant bushes will soon be utterly ruined. In 

 future currants in our northern states mean fight. Since the advent of the 

 saw fly, also imported, defoliation can only be stayed by a liberal use of 

 pyrethrum or white hellebore. Such defoliation two successive seasons kills 

 the bushes. Added to this, in all sections where the borer works, we must 

 prune and burn each spring, then we may still eat our jelly tarts and our 

 jelly cake. 



A COMMON BUTTERFLY AN ENEMY. 



Pyrameis card2ii Linn, is one of our most common and most beautiful 

 butterflies. It is a cosmopolite, being one of the very few species that is found 

 in all countries. From its rare beauty it is not inappropriately called "The 

 Painted Lady." The larvas or caterpillars vary very much in coloration, and 

 are decked with formidable branching spines. The caterpillar spins a web on 

 the leaf by aid of which it draws the leaf over so as to cover itself with a 

 shade tent. The chrysalis is adorned with golden or copper colored tubercles. 

 Heretofore this caterpillar has only been noticed, in Michigan, to feed on 

 thistles, and so was doubly welcome, not less from its beauty than from its 

 feeding upon one of our most noxious plants. Dr. Harris in his admirable 

 work says: "These caterpillars feed on thistles, particularly the spear thistle 

 {Cnious lanceolatus), on the leaves of the sunflower, hollyhock, burdock, and 

 other rough leaved plants in June and July." (Harris's Injurious Insects, p. 

 293). Prof. S. H. Scudder states that "they feed on all thistles, Heliantlius, 

 mallows," — these include hollyhock, ^' Lappa major ^^ (burdock), ^' AUIuea 

 rosea" (marsh mallow), and " Lilyhum moreanum or milk thistle." 



This summer this insect has been a serious annoyance at Bay City, Mich- 

 igan, as a destroyer of the hollyhock and hardy Centaurea C. candidissima. 

 It is not strange that this insect should attack the Gentaurea, as it is a com- 

 posite plant closely related to the thistle and burdock, and, like most of the 

 plants attacked by "The Painted Lady," has thick leaves. 



At the college this insect has attacked the hollyhocks and one of our favor- 

 ite bee plants the borage Borrago officinalis. I can find no mention of 

 this insect on borage or any plant of that family. 



* EEMEDY. 



Mr. F. W, Grinnell, of Bay City, used the soap and kerosene mixture on 



