69 



the larvae may be a species of Depressaria, and I now have hirvse which 

 I thinly are the second brood of the same species. This species was 

 parasitized by Microdus gihhosus Say. 



Tmetocet'a ocellana has not been observed, though it has sometimes 

 been injurious in Dehiware. 



Steganoptyeha sp. — During- the latter part of last summer the ter- 

 minals of young apple trees were very generally injured by a small, 

 reddish larva boring into them. These larvas became full grown late 

 in October and then hiljernated in their burrows in the terminals, 

 usually at the base of a leaf petiole which remained attached over 

 winter. In some cases the burrows were slightly lined with silk. The 

 hibernating larvte became somewhat flattened and reduced in size and 

 of a lighter color. Were a twig broken open the larva3 would close 

 the opening with silk and chips, and one or two spun whole cases of 

 silk upon the outside of the twig when thus molested. I also found a 

 similar case on a branch of one tree. Fully 50 per cent of the larvae 

 in the orchard under observation were parasitized by Bracon mel- 

 litor Say, whose larva makes a white, parchment-like cocoon of silk 

 within the burrow. All terminals containing parasitized larvee were 

 found to be punctured by a small hole just below the cocoon of the 

 parasite. Whether this was caused by the oviposition of the parasite 

 or is for its exit I do not know. These larvas pupated May 5 to 7 and 

 the moths emerged May 16 to 23. They have been determined by 

 Mr. Busck to be the same as Steganoptycha salicicolana Clem, of the 

 U. S. National Museum collection, but he states that these specimens 

 are probabh^ wrongly determined. The species is doubtless the same 

 as that found by Miss Murtfeldt in Missoui'i, which she describes as S. 

 pyricolana Riley MSS. , stating that Dr. Fernald considered it identi- 

 cal with S. salicicolana Clem. As the larva? of the latter species, 

 however, have been recorded as breeding in willow galls, it seems 

 hardly probable that they are the same, and Dr. Riley, who Miss 

 Murtfeldt states had types of Clemens' species, pronounced them dis- 

 tinct. The moths are very pretty little insects of a gray-brown color, 

 with bluish reflections, and marked with bands of silvery, lead gray, 

 and black scales. This species is very common throughout the State 

 and has done considerable injury in some instances. ,5'. mliclcoJana 

 Clem, was originally from Dr. Walsh in Illinois, and I tind no other 

 mention of it except by Miss Murtfeldt. 



The destructive g7^een 2)ea louse. — ^A considerable portion of the last 

 two months has been devoted to a field study of the pea louse, Nectai'o- 

 phora destructor Johns. 



Last year I found the lice still breeding on peas at the station on 

 December 1. The first to be observed this year were seen on May 1, 

 when, after considerable search, I found a few full-grown wingless 

 females on earl}^ peas at Milford. On May 11 the lice were found to 



