30 



Mr. Smith thtit .successive generations increased the length of the bur- 

 rows. He had never seen a case of trees attacked by this insect being 

 broken off by winds. He questioned if the species had been accu- 

 rately determined in all cases, and thought that possibly there might 

 be more than one species involved. 



Mr. Smith was of the opinion that there was but one species engaged 

 in New Jersey, and that this was the ver}^ common species. He stated 

 that the imported Zeuzera pyrina worked the younger trees in such a 

 way as to Aveaken them by going around the trunk and girdling it 

 completely under the bark; then the lirst heavy wind would carry the 

 tree to the ground. 



Mr. Felt stated that another species {Cos»ui< ctmterensln) occ-urred in 

 the vicinity of Albany in poplars, and that its work was quite differ- 

 ent from that of the carpenter worm. 



Mr. Smith replied that in New Jersey there Avas another native 

 species which was smaller than the one under discussion; l)ut its hab- 

 its of boring Avere different, and the species is quite rare. 



Mr. Howard remarked that the Division of Entomologv had recently 

 made some examinations, and had found that oaks infested by the 

 oak carpenter worm {Prhmoxystas rohinise) were noticea])ly smaller 

 than trees not infested. The same year the insects were all destroyed 

 in the trees found infested by the use of carbon bisulphid injected into 

 the holes. Six months after he had published his papei- on shade-tree 

 insects he had been obliged to change his relative rating of oaks on 

 account of this insect. 



Mr. Smith remarked that he had used this method against the Avood 

 leopard moth in private grounds in the A'icinity of Jersey City. The 

 species has now spread to Ncav Brunswick, but he did not regard it as 

 a dangerous insect there. He had been watching it for many years, 

 as it slowly spread from one city to another. The native birds kept 

 it in check outside the sparrow range; but he Ifad found it occasionally 

 in nursery examinations close to cities, and here the insects might be 

 very abundant, there being no native birds to keep them down. He 

 had found the larvse almost every year, but rarely in an orchard or on 

 fruit trees, except such as Avere inside of city limits. 



Mr. Scott called attention to a rather remarkable occurrence of one 

 of the poAvder-jiost ])eetles Avhich occurred in a dwelling on Washing- 

 ton street, Atlanta, Ga. His attention had f)een called to it by one of 

 the inmates of the house, who requested him to make an examination. 

 The trouble had existed for a Aveek, and every day it had been neces- 

 sary to remove the carpets from the floors and sweep up. An investi- 

 gation of the cellar of the house and the floor above revealed that the 

 timbers \vore thoroughly riddled ])y the tuiuiels of this l^eetle. He 

 advised that the city l)uilding inspector ))e called, as the house appeared 

 to be dangerous. He sent specimens of the insect's Avoi'k to Dr. How- 

 ard Avith the request for a remed3'. So far as he knew, nothing had 



