THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 55 



cutting and rolling as before ; but instead of fastening the edges 

 it unites the roll in two places, just inside the margins. Having 

 rolled a strip of leaf from an inch and a half to two inches, the 

 insect cuts the roll free. In the space of a few days the egg 

 hatches out a small white footless larva, which sets to work on the 

 food provided. The larva grows quickly, and by the time that it 

 has eaten all but the two last coils it is ready to pass into the 

 second or pupa stage; but before doing so it lines the inside of 

 the case with a fine silken web. This greatly strengthens the few 

 remaining rolls of dry leaf. There are two broods a year — one in 

 spring, the other autumn. The tree on which this insect is most 

 commonly taken is known in country districts as Peppermint. 



Having briefly described the above insect we now come to the 

 second — Eurymela speculum — one of the " tree hoppers," kindly 

 named forme by Mr. French, F.L.S. This order contains many 

 insects very destructive to trees and plants, as they feed on the 

 sap and do serious injury by depositing their eggs under the bark, 

 causing excrescences, which, as well as being unsightly, may stop 

 the natural flow of sap, and thus cause the plant to become sickly. 

 The insect under notice is one of the most common, it being 

 found sometimes in thousands. In cold, wet weather I have seen 

 them hanging in clusters, like swarms of bees, no doubt crowding 

 together for the sake of warmth and shelter. Clusters of young 

 hoppers may be seen when 150 or 160 would hardly cover the 

 surface of a threepenny piece. If the observer examine the twig 

 below the young insects he will, no doubt, see a slight swelling, 

 having a cut or mark about three-quarters of an inch in length, 

 such as could be made by boring a number of holes side by side 

 with a fine awl. If these punctures are examined closely they 

 will be seen to contain the egg-skin or shell. This can be better 

 done by removing a piece of the bark, when it will be seen that 

 the eggs are placed diagonally, sometimes even at 45 . This 

 position is explained after watching the insect deposit a number 

 of eggs. When doing so, instead of having the head and 

 ovipositor in line with the branch, they are, as stated above, 

 sometimes 45 out. No doubt this position gives the insect 

 greater power when cutting through the bark in the manner 

 described below. The insect having selected a suitable twig, 

 starts operations by expanding the covering of the ovipositor, and 

 by so doing brings the peculiar-shaped auger in contact with 

 the bark, at the same time contracting and lengthening the 

 abdomen, which gives the cutting instrument a saw-like motion. 

 Having made the hole of sufficient depth the knife or auger is 

 withdrawn, leaving two grooved spines buried in the bark. The 

 <egg, no doubt, passes down this channel. After remaining per- 

 fectly still for a few seconds the ovipositor is withdrawn, and the 

 insect, moving a little higher, repeats the operation, sometimes 



