323 ORDKR I-ETIDOPTEKA. 



Acgeritluc. 



( .<«« Plat« ssri. fi|Cf. 1, 8.) 

 Tut |nTiiIinrilli-s »f the inswts of this fnn.lly nir, jIip transluccncy of ihclr wings, flon- 

 gntr form of |MMly,and tlu- i»!i<wncc or nitlicr tlrficlcncy of scaly rovt-rinR whin conijjarwl 

 with thr SriiiMaD.r. Thi-y l>enr <«<imc r«'M'tul>lnnr«» to thi- H\m»nopti.iia : th«.-ir anlcniue 

 an- ••implo, «ini oflrii trrniinntrd liy a small |i«ncil of h«lr<. llir iiivrt.f art- intin-siInK, 

 Iroin the fart thnt lh«y utv hiijlily injurious to trf»'>, «-s|xTiully fruit trcos. Th«y are fl»-.*hy 

 i(nib»uf a cyliiulricnl >lia|>e ( flg. 1), with hrown ht-ads ami stnitig jaws ; biit unlike many 

 of the larvic of this order of insects, tliey have no caudal horn. They have the ordinary 

 truu fix legs, right ventral fet>t, and two feet at the extremity of the abdomen. 



The dilfcn-nt sjm-cIi-s feed ujxin different kinds of trees ; s«)me Upon the currant, moun- 

 tain asii, itr. The n><>st de«trurlive one is tiie .H^ena mtiosa of Sav, which preys upon 

 the p«a«h In-e. The egg is d<-|>o>ited ujMpn the Iwirk near the M<>t, and, when hatrhe<l, the 

 youns; |»enetrates to the wood, when it either continues its course into the wood, or burrows 

 JM-twetn the woxl and Iwirk : usually, however, it proceeds into the soft wowl, sometime^ 

 just U-lo\v the surface of the soil, at other times alx»ve. In either ca**-, such is the extent 

 of the injury inllictc«l, if allowed to maintain jiossession, that the tree is killed. Probably 

 the |)vach-trees in this country have suffen-d more from the .i,"i,'frt<j, than fn-m all other 

 insects put together. 



AIcLaiA EXiTiosA. ( Plate xxvi, figs. 1 - 5.) 



Fig. f>, fcnialo ; 1, male ; t, larva ; "J A 3, cocoon and pup*. 

 Color steel blue. W'in^s t«f the male transparent, and Ixirdered lnhind with steel-blue: 

 palpi, feelers, edges of the collar, and sho\ildrrs yellow ; smaller than the female. 

 FiLMALK, steel-blue : wings steel blue ; hind wings transparent : middle of the abdo- 

 men marked with nn f>range-coloreil ring or belt. Kxj anse of wing, 1 J inch. 

 Mr. Harris remarks that the legeria does n«rt confine its attacks to the peach-tree, but 

 m.iy be found aW) on the cherry, its InrMr Ix-ing deveIop<tl in the black knotty branches 

 of the tr«v. It diK-s not always locate itself at the ba.se of the tnink of the peach-tree, but 

 treipiently ixires into the limbs, in which caM- much le>s injury is done to the wh<de tree. 

 The inlestetl tree may l>e discovered by the pres«-nce of the dust and cuttings which the 

 larvw thn»w out amiind the roots ; but it is often nece.<sary to rt'move the surface soil, in 

 order to detect tlieir presence. 



The mode that is most successfully pursue*! for extirjiating these insects, is to cut them 

 out with the knife, avoiding the sound partsof the tn-eas much as i>ussible. A wire thrust 

 Into Uie borrows may destroy the larva, without cutting the tree. 



