272 FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



called to it by the curling of the leaves, suggesting at first, as the prob- 

 able cause, a serious attack by the currant Aphis, Aphis ribes Linn. Ex- 

 amination showed that instead of the characteristic bulges and blister- 

 like elevations and brownish-red color caused by the Aphis, the leaves 

 were more in-egularly curled, and were dotted, often very closely, with 

 small round spots, looking as if the surface had been eaten away. 

 When, however, the real author of the injuries was detected, and its 

 operations observed, it could be seen that the appearance produced 

 was the result of the extraction of the parenchymal matter by means 

 of the insect's proboscis through the puncture marking the center of 

 each spot. If the leaf was held up to the light, a day or two after its 

 becoming scarred, the spots were semi-transparent ; later, they became 

 partially opaque and presented a dull yellowish appearance. 



The tender, terminal leaves of the bush were the first to be attacked. 

 As they became thickly sprinkled with the spots, they dried and 

 crumpled, and no longer giving sustenance to the bugs, they were 

 deserted for the leaves next below on the stem. Leaf after leaf was 

 thus attacked and injured, until a leaf entirely free from injury could, 

 with difficulty, be found upon the entire bush — a large one — 

 its branches spreading eight feet in extent. Only the more tender 

 leaves toward the tips of the twigs died from their injuries, while the 

 older and larger ones showed different degrees of drying, discoloration, 

 and distortion. 



First Notice of Attack. 

 The commencement of the attack of the insect was unnoticed, for it was 

 then in its larval state, and its injuries were so inconsiderable as not 

 to attract attention. It probably commenced its operations in the early 

 part of May. They were first observed by me about the 10th of June. 

 At this time, all, or nearly all, were in their pupal state: none had 

 reached their final stage. Several of the pupa3 which I had collected 

 and confined in a glass jar with leaves to feed upon, changed to their 

 perfect winged form on the 13th of June. The pup^ continued to be 

 found upon the leaves until the 20th of the month, by which time, all 

 had completed their transformations. 



The Perfect Insect. 



The insect is represented in Fig. 78. A careful description of it was 

 made by me for publication — not recalling at the time, that one had 

 already been presented by Dr. Fitch, in his iWi Report on the. Insects 

 of the State of New York. On comparing numerous examples of the 

 insect with his detailed description, it was found to be so remarkably 

 exact and so elaborately complete, as to render it decidely preferable 

 to my own. As its publication is confined to the volume in which it 



