114 KANSAS Academy of Science. 



obtained July 2d and 3d. Young larvae appeared July 9th, and were supplied with 

 ash leaves and grass, but soon died. 



In the hope of finding half-grown larva^, the grove was visited October 21st, and 

 three larvje were found, after considerable search, feeding on the few dead leaves 

 still hanging to some sprouts from the base of a few trees. A misty rain falling at 

 the time, moistened the leaves so that they could be eaten by the caterpillars with 

 little difficulty and apparent relish. The larvas were 10-12 mm. long when extended 

 in motion, and had the form and characteristic markings of full-grown specimens, 

 except in being somewhat lighter colored, and having the subdorsal and terminal 

 lateral stripes grayish white — not tinged with orange. 



It is probable from the above, that this insect is single-brooded — wintering in 

 the larval stage; and that the ash is its ordinary food plant. The fact that the weeds, 

 Eupatorium sp. and Solidago sp., common in the grove, and the various perennial 

 grasses thereabouts, were still more or less green, and yet untouched by them, is 

 further evidence that the ash is the food plant of the young as well as the adult 

 larva. 



Egg: .75 mm. in diameter, nearly spherical, slightly flattened at base. To the 

 unaided eye the surface appears smooth and shining, but with careful focusing with 

 high power it is seen to be covered with raised lines forming a regular hexagon. 

 Color, amber yellow, faintly mottled with a lighter shade. 



Young larva: Length, about 2 mm.; head broader than body, resinous, armed with 

 a few hairs; eye spots, black; piliferous tubercles, thoracic shield, anal plate and 

 plates on abdominal feet, resinous; hairs, one to each tubercle, light colored, equal- 

 ing the thickness of the body in length; tubercles on each of the thoracic segments 

 10, arranged in one transverse row, on abdominal segments except last, in two rows, 

 6 in anterior, and 4 in posterior row. 



Mature larva: Length, 25-28 mm.; head somewhat less in diameter than the first 

 thoracic segment, slightly bilobed, shining black, armed with a considerable number 

 of black hairs; body, uniformly cylindrical, black, marked along the center of the 

 dorsum by an orange stripe lighter colored between segments; a similar stripe, in- 

 terrupted with black, covers the area just above and partly including the stigmata; 

 a narrow, whitish-yellow line occurs midway of the dorsal and stigmatal orange 

 stripe; and a similar line, curving down on the segments, borders the lower edge of 

 the sides; area below the bordering lateral stripe, including the thoracic, and all but 

 the inner surface of the abdominal feet, black, marked on each of the abdominal 

 segments with an oblique yellowish spot; ventral surface within thoracic and ab- 

 dominal feet, ashy, finely dotted with dark; segments armed with transverse rows of 

 shining blue-black tubercles, which are covered with short, radiating hairs, both 

 black and white, the black predominating on the dorsal, and the white on the lateral 

 tubercles; stigmata, black. 



Puxia: 15x5.5 mm.; dark reddish brown, robust, considerably enlarged back of 

 the thoracic segments; last segment terminating in a produced semi-circular edge, 

 slightly notched at the center, and armed with short, more or less forked hairs; 

 wing-cases extend nearly to the posterior margin of the fourth segment; stigmata 

 elongate, slightly elevated; general surface shining, abdominal segments minutely 

 and sparsely punctured. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE DIVINING-ROD. 



BY EDWARD A. KILIAN, ALMA. 



To the unprejudiced, without doubt it must be a fact that "water-witching," as 

 it is popularly called, is either a self-deception or an intentional fraud by those 



