76 



INJURIOUS OCCURRENCES IN 1898. 



Frequent inquiry has l^een made concerning this species and the 

 injury committed by it, but it will be sutiicient for present purposes 

 merel}^ to recount the occurrences of the year 1898 as an example of 

 what is liable to happen any year. 



May 10 beetles were observed in a raspberry patch atTennallytowii, 

 D. C, feeding upon the upper surface of the leaves. July L we 

 received a communication from Sister Marie, Nazareth, Ky., al)out 

 injury to locust in that locality. July 2'2 Maj. Henry E. Alvord, of 

 this Department, transmitted specimens of locust leaves from Fairfax 

 County, Va. , with accompanying statement that all locust trees over 

 an area of several square miles in that coiuity were at that time appar- 

 ently dead, looking as if a fire had swept through the country, but 

 without actually consuming the foliage. Major Alvord was interested 

 to the extent of 300 acres, carrjang a very large locust growth of 

 considerable value. On this tract not a tree could be found, either old 

 or young, protected or exposed, that was not in bad condition. The 

 cause of the atiection of the plants was not at first attributed to insects, 

 but believed to have developed as a result of a recent period of (excep- 

 tional dryness and heat, a remark which applies to much injury to 

 locust that is caused by this leaf -miner. Ravages were so extensive, 

 also, that it was practically out of the question to attempt any general 

 remedy or means of prevention. August 1 we received from Mr. J. E. 

 Herbert, York, Pa., specimens of leaves showing injury by this species 

 and attributed to l)light or rust. Injury was stated to be general 

 along the Susquehanna River, in York County, where every locust 

 tree seemed to be affected. 



HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE SPECIES. 



The natunil history of the leaf-mining locust beetle was first made 

 public in an article "Upon the Economy of Some American Species 

 of Hispa."' l)v Dr. Harris, printed in 1835 (Boston Journ. Nat. Hist., 

 Vol. I, pp. 111-1.51), an account which, until comparativeh^ recent 

 years, constituted the only source of information regarding the early 

 stages of the Hispini. It is noticeable that neither Harris nor subse- 

 quent authors of early times mentioned this species as particularly 

 troublesome, the first instance of observed injury having been pub- 

 lished in 1868 in an editorial answer to a correspondent of the American 

 Entomologist (Vol. I, p. 58). The injury in question was at Frank- 

 fort, Ky., and it was stated that the beetles had eaten the leaves of 

 black locust in that section so severely as to kill the trees in some 

 cases, and generally to injure their growth and appearance. It was 

 pointed out in the editorial reply that the principal damage was doubt- 

 less due to the insidious work of the larvw in the pulpy internal sub- 



