1917] ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY ENTOMOLOGY. 459 



M. granarium is a familiar pest of long standing, widely disseminated 

 throughout the United States wherever small grains are cultivated, and will 

 live and thrive on a number of the wild and cultivated grasses. Observations 

 of its life history and habits made at La Fayette, Ind., and Charlottesville, Va., 

 are recorded, and a tabular report is given of a line of 17 generations at Rich- 

 mond, Ind., in 1908. 



The eggs begin to hatch during the last week in March in the latitude of 

 La Fayette, and continue hatching through the first week in April. Eggs were 

 obtained in Richmond in the fall of 1908 but none hatched the follo\ving spring, 

 and of eggs secured in the fall of 1909 at La Fayette only one hatched. From 

 hundreds of eggs secured in the fall of 3910 only about 15 or 20 hatched. 



As is common vrith Aphidida^ in general in the latitude of La Fayette, this 

 species reproduces parthenogeuetically until October, when the sexes appear and 

 eggs are deposited. While no oviparous females were observed in the fields, the 

 presence of the males indicates that the sexes occur normally on the small 

 grains and on blue grass in the fall. Viviparous females have been carried 

 through the winter out of doors in breeding cages at La Fayette and Charlottes- 

 ville and have been found on the small grains throughout the fall, in the 

 winter, and again in the early spring, so they doubtless pass the winter both 

 in the egg and as viviparous females in the Northern States. It is doubtful 

 whether eggs and stem mothers normally occur much south of latitude 35° 

 unless it is in higher altitudes. 



The aphids remain on the leaves of wheat and other small grains until the 

 heads are formed and then cluster around the tender kernels, sucking the rich 

 sap. Just before harvest, when the plant tissues become hard and tough, all 

 Immature individuals become winged and migrate to some of the grasses, 

 where they remain until volunteer grain and fall wheat put in their appearance. 



Of the numerous parasitic and predacious enemies of this aphid Aphidius 

 nigripes is said to be the most efficient. 



The specific effects of certain leaf -feeding Coccidfe and Aphididae upon the 

 pines, K. B. Brown {Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer., 9 {1916), No. If, pp. ^1^-^22, pis. 

 2). — The author's studies show that the damage to the needles of pine trees 

 by aphid feeding is "(1) from the honeydew fungus, which makes the trees 

 unsightly and interferes with the process of photosynthesis or food manu- 

 facture in the needles by shutting off part of the light; (2) by discolored areas 

 from which food has been taken and which have been whitened by admission 

 of air to the cells; (3) by the making of conspicuous, infiltrated spots and 

 causing gum exudation; and (4) inconspicuous damage by the great number 

 of piercings and suckings. This, though usually invisible, is probably more 

 important than the first three taken together. 



" The damage to pines by the coccids studied is due to sucking and the 

 cnzym action of the saliva injected to assist in this process. The damage con- 

 sists of the destruction of chlorophyll-bearing cells with a subsequent whiten- 

 ing of the needles. This is followed by the death of the needles in some cases, 

 or occasionally by the production of infiltrated spots that while conspicuous 

 are not of great importance." 



Life history of the velvet bean caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatilis), J. R. 

 Watson {Jour. Econ. Ent., 9 {1916), No. 6, pp. 521-528, pis. 2, figs. 2).— Sub- 

 stantially noted from another source (E. S. R., 35, p. 854). 



Concerning the oviposition of infertile eggs and parthenogenesis in the 

 silkworm, A. L:ficAiLLON {Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. [Paris], 162 {1916), No. 6, 

 pp. 23Jf-236). — The oviposition of eggs by infertile females occurred very ir- 

 regularly. Certain infertile eggs may undergo change in color resembling 

 those that are fertile. 



