1556 



INSECTS ETC., IXJURIOUS TO VARIOUS CROPS 



INSECTS 



INJURIOUS 



TO VARIOUS 



CROPS 



and in what proportion the dead and Hving cochineal insects occur in its 

 food. 



Among its hosts, in addition to Saissetia oleae Bern (black scale) and 

 Icerya -purchasi Mask. (Cottony cushion scale or fluted scale) which are 

 alreadj'' known, the author cites Lecanium persicae Fab. (European peach 

 scale), Aspidiotus camelliae Sign, (greedy scale) and Pseudococcus hakeri 

 Essig (Baker's mealybug). 



The Hvlcocera larvae weave large nets on the branches of the plants, 

 and without leaving these, they feed upon the eggs and the young indivi- 

 duals of the cochineal insects which pass the entrances, but the adults 

 are never attacked. 



1 143- Birds in the Vineyards in the Region of Nimes. - hugues, a, in Compter rendm, 



des seanccb dc V Academic d'A^ricuUurc dc rr^mcc, Vol. li, No. 17, pp. 504-508. Pari'; 1916. 



The birds which live in vineyards in the region of Nimes are passed 

 in review ; these birds feed upon insects and do not attack the grapes, 

 they thus are worthy of efficient protection. The author cites in particu- 

 lar the ortolan {Emberiza hortulana), the stonechat (Pratincola ruhicola), 

 the wheatear {Saxicohi oenanthe), the European bunting {Miliaria europaea), 

 the crested lark {Galerida cristata) , the short toed lark (A lauda hrachydactyla), 

 th§ common linnet {Cannabina linota), and the warblers. The tomtit 

 {Pariis major) is recorded as being especially efficient; it attacks the woolly 

 bear caterpillars of the tiger moth {Arctia or Chelonia caja L.) and 

 those of Cmcw/m.s canorus. The European night- jar {Caprimidgns europea- 

 us) destroys butterflies. 



Red partridges (Perdrix rubra) and magpies (Pica caudata) eat the 

 grapes but most often the damage is done to the bordering plants. In 

 this district in a good year about 659 625 gallons of wine are gathered in, 

 and the losses caused bj' these two birds do not exceed 27 000 gallons. 

 Fieldfares arrive in October and eat the grapes left by the grape gatherers 

 and the gleaners, grapes which are in any case lost to the vine -grower. The 

 golden oriole {Oriolus galbula) and the sparrow {Passer domesticus) have 

 not caused anj- complaints. In conclusion, in the vineyards of lower 

 Provence there is not a single bird that is really harmful, while there 

 are a great many that are of use. 



1 144 -The Thermites (Leucotermes spp.) Harmful to Agricultuie in the United 



States. —.Snyder, T. K., in United States Det'^nlmcJ ur A '■.■iculture. Bulletin No. 333, 

 pp. 1-3.1, Fit;. 1-5, PI. i-XV. Washington, D. C. i<)i6. 



The three best-known species of termites (white ants) in the United 

 States are : Leucotermes flavipes Kollar, distributed over the whole of 

 North America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from Canada to the 

 Gulf of Mexico ; L. lucifugus Rossi, common in Texas, Arizona, Kansas, 

 Colorado and South California, and L. virginicus Banks, indigenous to 

 Maryland and Virginia (including the district of Colombia). They cause 

 considerable damage to the principal plants cultivated, apart from wood 

 and other materials (e. g. paper, book.s). 



These in.sects attack the stem of the cotton plant at a depth of about 



