42 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



similar to those employed against other borers, and will be 

 explained in a subsequent part of this essay. It may not be 

 amiss, however, here to remark, that woodpeckers are much 

 more successful in discovering the reti-eats of these borers, and 

 in dragging out the defenceless culprits from their burrows, 

 than the most skilful gardener or nurseryman. 



The largest of these beetles in this part of the United States 

 is the Bupreslis ( Chalcophora) Virginica of Drury, or Virginian 

 Buprestis. It is of an oblong oval form, brassy, or copper- 

 colored; sometimes almost black, with hardly any metallic 

 reflections. The upper side of the body is roughly punctured; 

 the top of the head is deeply indented; on the thorax there are 

 three polished black elevated lines ; on each wing-cover are two 

 small square impressed spots, a long elevated smooth black 

 line near the outer, and another near the inner margin, with 

 several short lines of the same kind between them ; the under 

 side of the body is sparingly covered with short whitish down. 

 It measures from eight tenths of an inch to one inch or more 

 in length. This beetle appears towards the end of May, and 

 through the month of June, on pine-trees and on fences. In 

 the larva state it bores into the trunks of the different kinds of 

 pines, and is oftentimes very injurious to these trees. 



The wild cherry-tree [Primus serotina), and also the garden 

 cherry and peach trees, suffer severely from the attacks of borers, 

 which are transformed to the beetles called Buprestis [Dicerca] 

 divaricata by Mr. Say, because the wing-covers divaricate or 

 spread apart a little at the tips. These beetles are copper- 

 colored, sometimes brassy above, and thickly covered with 

 little punctures; the thorax is slightly furrowed in the middle; 

 the wing-covers are marked with numerous fine irregular im- 

 pressed lines and small oblong square elevated black spots; 

 they taper very much behind, and the long and narrow tips are 

 blunt-pointed ; the middle of the breast is fm-rowed ; and the 

 males have a little tooth on the under side of the shanks of the 

 intermediate legs. They measure from seven to nine tenths 

 of an inch. These beetles may be found sunning themselves 

 upon the limbs of cherry and peach trees during the months 

 of June, July, and August. 



