Report of the State Entomologist. 47 



Currant Bushes Girdled by an Unknown Insect. 



The Attack an Extended one. 



Tii)s of cuiTant bushes, girdled by some insect, were discovered by 

 Professor C. H. Peck, N. Y. State Botanist, in bis garden, at Menands, 

 near Albany, during the latter part of May. Examinations in gardens 

 in Al])any showed similarly affected tips, and indicated that the attack 

 was somewhat general in this vicinity. In my own garden, a large 

 black currant had many of the fresh, succulent tips girdled in the 

 same manner. Nothing of the kind, so far as could be learned, had 

 been observed before. 



Features of the Attack. 



The features of the girdling were these: A short distance below one 

 of the larger leaves of a tip, five or six sharj), somewhat curved cuts 

 could be seen, encircling the stalk, and from their depth, nearly sever- 

 ing it, causing the tip to fall over and hang suspended by only some 

 small points of attachment. In some instances, where from the dried 

 condition of the end of the stalk, it was i3rol)able that the cutting had 

 been done a few days previously, the tip had broken off and fallen to 



the ground. 



The Insect Unknown. 



Effort was made by Professor Peck to discover the author of this 

 new injury, but no insect ujion which it could be chargeable was 

 found. It was evidently done during the night, for after removing all 

 the tips that had been cut in this manner late in the afternoon, freshly 

 cut ones would be discovered on the following morning. Two or 

 three species of Lampyridce fell under his suspicion from being the 

 only insects noticed on or about the bushes, but such an operation 

 would be quite at variance with what is known of their habits; and 

 furthermore, no manifestation of the kind was made by the specimens 

 that were brought to me, and tied in gauze upon bushes in my garden. 



Compared with the Raspberry-stem Girdling'. 

 This attack is quite distinct from that of the raspberry-stem girdler, 

 Oherea himaculata Oliv., in which there is a double girdling, the one at 

 about one inch from the other, with the egg, inserted between the two, 

 and the larva when hatched burrowing downward in the cane. In 

 this there is but one cutting as has been described, nor does the 

 larva burrow and mature within the stalk, for the most careful exam- 

 ination failed to give any indication of egg-deposit or larval jiresence 

 therein. In all probability, the egg is placed just above the point of 

 girdling. The tip, either from the continuity of the encircling cuts, 



