THE ACACIA BORER. 127 



stem, and as the grubs remain for a long while — probably 

 a couple of years — in the wood it will readily be seen 

 how great is the damage that may be done during this 

 time. 



To those of us who are interested in the preservation 

 of our costal timber belts as we have before stated, and 

 w^ithout which vegetation serious inroads of the sea must 

 and is being made, and great is the damage which has 

 been done to the native trees to these and insects of a 

 kindred nature, where the work of destruction appears to 

 be going on uninterruptedly. As a rule, and fortunately 

 for us, the "Coast Tea tree" {Leptospermum tceviiratum) 

 is affected by very iew serious diseases, the principal 

 being caused by the work of one of the Cecidomya^ of 

 which group the celebrated " Hessian Fly " is a member, 

 and which forms a kind of "gall" on the branches ; also 

 from some of the JPsycIiidce^ the case-enclosed larvae of 

 which feed upon the leaves but do but comparatively 

 little harm. 



The beautiful she-oaks ( Casuarina)^ which, in full 

 vigour, once lined the sea coasts in the localities men- 

 tioned, are rapidly dying out, a large and singular scale 

 insect {Frenchia CasaariJicB)^ which the late Mr. Maskell 

 has so ably described, having destroyed a large number 

 of these valuable trees. 



This is a matter which the Forest Branch might well 

 take up, and the co-operation of this branch of the 

 Agricultural Department would be readily forth comino-. 



