10 



pines in the immediate neighbourhood acquire an outline quite 

 uncharacteristic of such trees, owing to the young shoots having been 

 bored by the beetles and broken off by the wind, while fine healthy 

 young trees begin to take the appearance of mis-shapen bushes. 

 Along with Hi/liin/ns piiiijwida may often be found IJi/lastes jialliatns, 

 Gyll., whose larvte also feed under the ijark, while the beetles attack 

 the bark or the stem and crown of standing trees and do a great 

 deal of damage, in some cases resulting in the death of an already 

 weakened tree. 



On the areas referred to, after the trees have been cut down and 

 removed the old stumps remain in the ground. These stumps form 

 favourable breeding places for various species of Coleoptera. If the 

 stumps are examined a year or two after the trees have been felled, 

 say in the month of May, fine fat larvfe and a few pup^e oi Hi/lohius 

 obietis, L., may be found just beneath the bark- not far from the 

 surface of the ground ; and, under the bark of the smaller roots, in 

 many cases at several feet distance from the trunk, many smaller 

 Inrvse may be found which will in due course develop into the 

 elegant little beetle Hylastes ater, Payk. There is no lack of these 

 larvte in the stumps. I have taken out over 70 larvse of lii/lohiiis 

 ohietis from a single stump, and have found innumerable larv;p of 

 IJi/Uistes (iter in the roots of the same tree. Supposing that the 

 crop which was felled contained 400 trees per acre, similarly affected, 

 there might be about 28,000 H>/lohiiis abii'tis and a far larger num- 

 ber of Hijlastes ater on the one acre alone, and if many acres are 

 felled it may easily be imagined what a tremendous number of these 

 insects would be available. In certain forests in Scotland some 

 entomologists, who have been researching into the ravages of these 

 insects, have found the larva? of Hylastes ciinicidarius, Er., feeding in 

 large numbers on the roots of I'icca e.cceha, the small roots at some 

 distance from the trunk being specially favoured by them. I 

 mention this as I believe the insect is considered uncommon. 



Let us now consider the condition of affairs when a forester plants 

 young conifers upon the ground which was recently cleared of 

 coniferous trees. The young plants are just the food which Hjilo- 

 hius ahietis and Hylastes ater desire. Both beetles are breeding in 

 thousands in the stumps and roots. On emerging the former 

 devour the bark on the stem above the ground and frequently 

 may be found doing so, the latter devour the bark upon 

 the roots beneath the ground, so that little may be seen 

 of them ; but the damage they do is great, as may be seen 

 by the plants I am exhibiting, the bark on the roots of which 

 has been entirely devoured. The joint attack of the two 

 species named Avill sometimes result in the complete destruction of 

 a crop of young trees, and will always cause considerable damage. 

 The forester usually knows Hylobins abietis, and lays traps for him 

 with great effect — probably he catches thousands and breeds hundreds 

 of thousands. 



