PINK SAWFLY. 255 



their almost total disappearance from the young plantations 

 in the neighbom'hood of Beauly in 1880, after having ravaged 

 the young Fir woods for five or six years until acres were 

 completely stripped of their leaves, is attributed to the low 

 temperature of the preceding summer. Looking at this 

 susceptibility of the caterpillars to injury from wet and 

 cold, in their young state and when they are changing their 

 skins, it suggests that something might be done in attack on 

 trees in nursery ground, and on limited areas, by syringing. 

 The kind of engine used in Hop-grounds with a double hose 

 would be applicable to the work, and, where water was at 

 hand, the rapid clearing it would be almost certain to effect 

 would be worth a trial. 



We have some help in keeping down this pest both from 

 birds and the smaller Mammalia. Woodpeckers of various 

 kinds. Jays, Cuckoos, Titmice, Hedgesparrows, and Swallows, 

 are of service in destroying the perfect Sawflies, and also the 

 cocoons with the contained caterpillar ; but they shun con- 

 tinuous attack on the caterpillars on the trees, and diet on 

 them appears to be prejudicial to the nestlings. Amongst 

 four-footed enemies the Field Mouse and the Short-tailed 

 Field Mouse (Field Vole), both of which when driven by 

 hunger are carnivorous, are stated to destroy cocoons lying 

 beneath the Moss, together with their contents. Squirrels are 

 not less destructive, as many as a hundred of these spun-up 

 caterpillars having been taken from the stomach of a single 

 specimen ; but they will not eat the caterpillars whilst feeding 

 on the leaves. — (Th. H.) 



The surest methods of prevention of these pests, however, 

 appear to be in taking advantage of their habits of forming 

 their cocoons in large numbers beneath their food-trees, and of 

 falling from the branches on a sharp shake being given to the 

 tree. 



Note. — I have also had observations, with specimens, during 

 this year, of much injury being done by the caterpillars of the 

 Lophyrus riifus of Klug on three or four thousand acres of 

 young Scotch Fir in Argyleshire. These caterpillars are of a 

 greenish, dusky grey, with black heads, a fine lighter line along 

 the back, and a dusky line above the spiracles. The abdo- 

 minal sucker-feet and abdomen below, yellow-green. The 

 specimens sent me on the 10th of June had spun their cocoons 

 by the 23rd. The flies may be looked for from August onwards. 

 The females are reddish; the males black, with abdomen 

 beneath and legs, red. It was observed that trees ten feet 

 high were not so seriously attacked as those from two to six 

 feet high. 



