^54 ^'""- ^^''- K-iRBvV Obfavations upon Infccis that prey upon 'Timber, 



adjacent building had alfo been attacked by them. Nor docs this 

 infcfl fo entirely confine itftlf to fir, as never to attack any other 

 kind of wood ; for, when the imcgo firft came forth in confiderablc 

 quantities, Mr. Trimmer took feveral and placed them upon fome 

 pieces of fir which were under cover : but, what feems remarkable, 

 the infects quitted thefe, and went and depofited their eggs in fome 

 pieces of apple, pear, cherry and plum, which had been felefted fjr 

 turning, and were piled up in the open air. 



It is worthy of obfervr.tion, that this deftruftive little animal 

 attacks only fuch timber ns has not been ftripped of its bark ; a cir- 

 cumftance which ought to be known and attended to by all per- 

 fons who have any concern with this article ; for the bark is a 

 temptation, not only to the infe6l in queftion, but alfo to a nu- 

 merous tribe both of this and other genera ; and a great deal of 

 the injury which is done to timber would be prevented, if other 

 trees befides the oak were barked as foon as they are felled. The 

 principal danger, however, arifes from neglecling this precaution 

 with refpedl to fuch timber as is ufed in buildings, efpecially in 

 thofe places that are acceffible to infeds, for in this cafe it will not 

 laft out half its time. 



But, to proceed with our hiftory, the female of this infeft is fur- 

 niflied with a flat, retra£lile tube, or rather aculeus {a), which fhe 

 infcrts, it fhould feem, (for Mr. Trimmer was never fo fortunate as 

 to fee this operation performed,) between the bark and the wood 

 to the depth of about a quarter of an inch, and there fhe depofits 

 her egg, fince not more than one appears to be laid in one place. 

 By dripping off the bark it is eafy to trace the whole progrefs of 

 the larva, from the fpot where it was newly hatched, to that 

 where it has attained its full fize {b). At firft it proceeds onwards, 



o) Tab. 12. fig. 15. c. (iJ) Fig. 13. a — c. 



but 



