MLSCELLANEOUS [NSECTS. 363 



Description: Form, ovate ; length, three lines ; color, head 

 black, with two white dots ; thorax black, with a white mark 

 on each -anterior angle ; wing-cases, light orange, with a minute 

 white mark at each side of the scutellum. 



In answer to inquiries made by me, Mr. A. P. Crane, a prom- 

 inent fruit grower at San Lorenzo, Alameda County, writes as 

 follows, under date of June 12, 1883 : 



" Dear Sir : Yours of the ninth instant came to hand last 

 evening. I send you specimens of lady-bird by this mail. 

 They troubled our Black Tartai'ian Cherries some years ago. 

 We allowed the fruit to become too ripe before picking, and the 

 species I send you destroyed considerable. I have not noticed 

 them to be so plentiful in three or four years past as they are 

 this year (1883), but they are not doing any harm as yet that 

 I can observe. Last Wednesday, while looking through our 

 apple orchard, I found a large number of these lady-birds 

 devouring the woolly aphis. This morning, in looking for 

 these specimens which I send you, I could not find any on the 

 trees near the house, neither any aphis, but found the lady- 

 birds on boxes containing cherries. The lady -birds are often 

 observed feeding upon ripe apricots, but some growers think 

 that the striped or spotted Diahrotica first punctures the fruit 

 before the lady-bird will touch it. I believe the lady-birds 

 will puncture and eat the fruit, if it is soft and ripe. 



"A. P. Crane." 



3d. Mr. Welty, whose orchard is located on the Sacramento 

 River, a few miles below this city (Sacramento), brought me a 

 specimen of a sand wasp, belonging to the genus Prioeneinis. 

 (Fig. 371, Plate 4.) 



Description ; Length, nearly one inch ; color, body black, 

 with bluish or greenish shades ; wings, brick-red, with black tips. 



Mr. Welty states that these insects have destroyed the crop 

 of twelve peach trees (variety, "Alexander,") for two years in 

 succession — 1881 and 1882. As soon as the fruit begins to get 

 ripe, these pests attack it in such numbers as would destroy 

 the entire crop if not picked before it is ripe. He also states 

 that the other varieties of peaches are not attacked by this 

 species. 



