l8 SECOND REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



capable of living a long time without food. De Geer, a distinguished 

 Swedish naturalist of the last century, kept some specimens alive in a 

 sealed bottle for more than a year without food. 



Probably the best method that could be adopted by the inquirer to free 

 his library and other apartments from so serious an invasion of this pest, 

 would be to fumigate with brimstone. Houses which after standing 

 long unoccupied have been found swarming with the bugs, have been 

 effectually freed from them by this means. Place in the center of the 

 room a dish containing about four ounces of brimstone, within a larger 

 vessel, so that the possible overflowing of the burning mass may not in- 

 jure the carpet or set fire to the floor. After removing from the room 

 all such metallic surfaces as might be affected by the fumes, close every 

 aperture, even the key-holes, and set fire to the brimstone. When four 

 or five hours have elapsed, the room may be entered and the windows 

 opened for a thorough airing. 



PSYLLA BUXI UPON BoX, AT WeST FaRMS, N. Y. 



Mr. James Angus, of West Farms, N. Y., sent to me, under date of 

 May 23d, a small insect upon box, Buxus sempervirens, which according 

 to his statement, entirely covers the plants at this season of the year. 

 They secrete a white floculent matter, and cover the leaves with a thick 

 honey-dew. Later in the year their gummy exuviae greatly mar the 

 beauty of the plant. The only remedy thus far found against them 

 has been to beat the plants violently with a broom and then to rub the 

 dislodged insects into the ground. This was done several times during 

 the season. 



The insects were found to be Fsyllidce — probably of the genus Psylla, 

 but as they were at this time in their pupal stage, no determination could 

 be made. They averaged one-tenth of an inch long, of an apple-green 

 color, head broad, nearly as broad as the thorax; thorax and -abdomen 

 about equal in length and breadth; antennae apparently four- jointed, 

 the last joint black and the others black at the tip. 



They were confined in a small jar with the leaves of the box, and on 

 the 29th of May the first imago was disclosed. Upon submitting speci- 

 mens to Prof. Uhler for determination, he kindly, returned the following 

 reply : 



I have carefully compared your specimens of Psylla with Ps. buxi, 

 of Europe, in my collection, and I fail to discover any differences. As 

 the wings of one specimen are clouded, I take it for granted that this 

 one is immature; the others have transparent wings. P. biixi Linn., 

 is described in Sysi. Nat., ii, p. 738; Fabr. Spec. Ins., ii, p. 391; Reaian. 

 Ins. iii, pi. 19, figs. 1-14 ; F-oerster, Verhandl. 'Nat. Verein. Prctiss. 

 Rheinl., 1848, iii, p. 71, No. 3. It is common in England and Germany. 



