THE DISEASES OF INSECTS. gj 



"The species of fossil insects now known from North America, 

 number eighty-one : six of tliese belong to the Devonian, nine 

 to the Carboniferous, one to the Triassic, and sixty-five to the 

 Tertiary epochs. The Ilymenoptera, Ilomoptera, and Diptera 

 occur only in the Tertiaries ; the same is true of the Lepidop- 

 tera, if we exclude the Morris specimen, and of the Coleoptera, 

 with one Triassic excei)tion. The Orlhuptera and Myriopods 

 are restricted to the Carboniferous, while the Xeuroptera occur 

 both in the Devonian and Carboniferous formations." Mr. 

 Scudder describes from the Carboniferous formation of Nova 

 Scotia, besides Xylobius sigillarke Daws., four additional spe- 

 cies {X. similis, fractus and Dawsoni, and Arcliiulus xyloMo- 

 ides, n. g. and sp.), forming the family Archiulidce. 



The Diseases of Insects have attracted but little atten- 

 tion. They are so far as known mostly the result of the attacks 

 of parasitic plants and animals, though epidemics are known 

 to break out and carry olf myriads of insects. Dr. Shimer 

 gives an account of an epidemic among the Chinch bugs, which 

 "was at its maximum during the moist warm weather that fol- 

 lowed the ccVl rains of June and the first part of July, 18G5." 



Species of microscopic plants luxuriate in infinitesimal for- 

 ests within the alimentary canal of some wood-devouring insects, 

 and certain fungi attack those species which are exposed to 

 dampness, and already enfeebled by other causes. Among the 

 true ento2:>hyta, or parasitic plants, which do not howcAer ordi- 

 narily occasion the death of their host, Professor Leidy describes 

 Enterohryns elegans, E. S2m-alis, E. uUernatxis, Artliromitus 

 cristatus, Cladophytum coviatvm, and CorT/nocIadvs radiatus, 

 which live mostly attached to the mucous walls of the interior 

 of the intestine of Jnltis marginatus and two other species of 

 Jnhis, and Passahis cormitus. Eccrhia louga Leidy, lives in 

 J'ohjdcsmns Virginiensis ; and E. moniliformis Leidy in P. 

 grdhvJatvs. 



But there are parasitic fungi tliat are largely destructive to 

 their hosts. Such are Sphaeria and Isaria. "These fun"-i 

 groAv with great rapidity within the body of the animal they 

 attack, not only at the expense of the nutritive fluids of the 

 latter, but, after its death, all the interior soft tissues aijpear 

 6 



