14 ASH. [1900 



breeding purposes ; but the specimens in those instances ^vere all taken 

 from felled Ash timber. '*' 



On June 15th the beetles were still laying eggs in some of the 

 galleries, but in some cases these were full of grubs, and the beetle 

 was not found boring for /«///»// purposes into the growing tree (with 

 the exception of two or three holes which were begun and deserted), 

 conjecturally because the flow of sap at this time of the year would be 

 injurious to the egg and grub. 



In the past season the Eev. John Martin favoured me with some 

 notes on April 28tli regarding what proved to be attack of H. fraxhii, 

 then in progress to some trunks of Ash trees then lying in the wood- 

 yard at Charley Hall, Loughborough. These had been cut down 

 twelve months previously on account of shot-like holes having been 

 observed in them, and had remained lying in the yard ever since. Of 

 these Mr. Martin observed : — 



" They now show little heaps of saw-dust in places all over the 

 bark like the dust caused by what is commonly called ' worm-eaten ' 

 wood in furniture. By digging with a knife in the bark under this 

 heap of dust you find a ' shot-hole.' By following up the ' shot-hole' 

 into the bark some three-quarters of an inch, I found two beetles 

 usually in each hole. These seem to be at work, and evidently start 

 from the outside, as they lie at the end of the hole, and will, I suppose, 

 found a family there." 



The supply of specimens forwarded clearly showed the infestation 

 to be of the Common Ash-bark Beetle, not of II. crcnatu.'i, noticed in 

 the following paper, regarding which as infesting some of his Ash 

 trees I was then in communication with Mr. Martin, who amongst 

 other observations and enquiries regarding H. fraxud remarked : — 



" They are not in live trees, but in dead logs, so cannot injure 

 them ; but I don't want to perpetuate the breed in the country." 



We appear to have notes now of this infestation throughout the 

 year, showing that in winter the beetles may be found at the end of 

 the tunnels which they bored in larval state, or sometimes in special 

 continuations of these going a little way into the wood of the tree ; 

 sometimes also in little borings pierced from the outside into the bark. 



In April, or possibly just a little later, the year's attack is begun, 

 and burrowing of the beetles and subsequent development of the brood 

 continues (as described) till the life-history is completed by the beetles 

 hybernating ready for the next year's attack. With this H. fraxini, the 

 development is completed in one year, and it appears open to supposition 

 that there are sometimes two broods in one year, but I am not aware 

 that the point has hitherto been entered on in this country. 



As the attack takes place for the most part to felled timber, it 

 cannot be ranked amongst our especially mischievous infestations, 



