ENTOMOLOGY. 1073 



poultry. Among birds the English sparrow is said to be especially 

 destructive to the cicada. The following insect parasites of the cicada 

 are recorded: A Cecidomyid egg parasite and a number of Hymenop- 

 terous egg parasites, and several mites of the genera Oribateila, Ori- 

 poda, Oppia, Pediculoides, Tyroglyphus, Iphis, Cheyletus, and Bdella. 

 A few predaceous Hemiptera and the digger wasp [Megastizm speciosus) 

 are meutioued as important enemies of the cicada. 



As artificial remedies the author recommends the use of nets on 

 small trees to preventtlie insects from depositing their eggs. Pyretlirum, 

 applied either as a powder or in water and kerosene emulsion, was 

 found to be an effective remedy when sprayed upon the adult cicada. 

 For destroying the cicada during its underground life, tobacco dust in 

 the soil and bisulphid of carbon are recommended. The author reviews 

 the more important papers on the cicada and gives an extensive bibli- 

 ography of the subject. 



The grapevine flea-beetle, M. V. Slingkerland (New York Cornell 

 JSta. Bui. 157, pp. 189-213, Jigs. 19). — The author gives a review of the 

 literature of the subject and a description of the insect in its various 

 stages. Among the food plants of this tiea-beetle are mentioned the 

 wild and cultivated grapes, plum trees, the water beech, apple, aud 

 quince. No decided preference is shown by the insect for any special 

 variety of grape. The greatest damage is done by the adult beetle in 

 early spring in eating the undeveloped buds and thus preventing the 

 formation of fruit. The adult beetles work upon the young buds only 

 a few days, but when they occur in large numbers this time is usually 

 sufficient to cause great destruction. The eggs are laid from the middle 

 of May to the middle of June. The time of incubation was not deter- 

 mined. It is supposed to be about 3 weeks. The young grubs feed 

 upon the leaves and are usually found upon the upper surface. The 

 pupal stage is passed about an inch or two under the surface of the 

 soil and lasts about a week. The adult beetles then attack the leaves 

 late in the summer in about the same way that the grubs do during the 

 earlier part of the season. The evidence seems to show that there is 

 but one brood of the insect in New York. The insect passes the winter 

 in the adult stage, hiding in grass and under rubbish and in the cracks 

 of bark, and emerges from the hiding places in April and May. 



Among its natural enemies are recorded Podisus modest us and Met/ilia 

 maculata. Much good may be done by removing and burning all bark, 

 splinters, and rubbish in the vicinity of the vines in the fall, thus 

 destroying the hibernating beetles. In the early spring, when the 

 beetles first emerge, they may be readily jarred into a pan of kerosene 

 or upon sheets saturated with kerosene. The most effective remedy, 

 however, is spraying with Paris green, at the rate of 1 lb. of Paris 

 green to 150 gal. of water for the purpose of destroying the grubs. 

 The grubs may be readily seen as they feed upon the upper surface of 

 the leaves. Paris green may be used as a spray against the adult 

 beetles before the developmont of the buds, and may then be used in 



