PUTNAM ON PULVINARIA INNUMERABILIS. 297 



by Miss Smith in the Peoria local nejvspapers, and in the Prairie 

 Farmer for July 6, 1878, and July 12, 1879. 



In the Cultivator and Countrii Gentleman, Albany, July 25, 187^5, Dr. J. 

 A. Lintner. has reprinted in full Dr. Fitch's very scarce and almost in- 

 accessible article on this species. He states that he had been unable to 

 find a trace of them on the maples in Albany, in 1878. Dr. Fitch in his 

 article compares his species with the Lecanium aceris of Europe, and Dr. 

 Lintner desires to have the question of their identity settled. The L. 

 aceris is quite fully described by M. Signoret in his ii|valaable " Essat 

 .sur les Coc/iemHcs," and is a true Lecaynum of the third group in which 

 the females become " more or less elevated, hemi-spherical. more or less 

 globular," with the eggs laid loose in a powdery deposit beneath the 

 scale of the mother, and hence is even generically distinct from our 

 species, and differs in many other particulars. In addition to this I have 

 sentspecimens to M. Signoret wlio informs me that they are quite distinct. 



Other articles in which this species is mentioned have been published 

 in the Country Gentleman for July 4th and July 11th, I8'78; in the Prairie 

 Farmer. August 24th, 1878, August 9th, and October 25th, 1879 ; in the 

 Bural Keic Yorker, November 15th, 1878 ; in the Practical Farmer, Phila- 

 delphia, January. 13th, 1877, where it is recorded from Circleville, Ohio, 

 by M. B. Bateman ; in the Canadian Entomologist, Vol. X, 1878, page 

 176, Vol. XI, 1879, page 19G ; and in various local newspapers. 



Mr. Riley writes to me that he first bred the male and the Coccophugiis 

 parasite in 1869. In 1870 he received specimens from Prof. D S. Sheldon. 

 in 1871 from J. D. Putnam, Davenport, in 1875 from Suel Foster, Musca- 

 tine, in 1878 from Janesville, Wis. He has also been able to confirm the 

 main points of what Miss Smith says concerning the development of the 

 male. 



History in Davenport. Pulvinaria ijinumerabilis was first noticed in 

 Davenport in 1867, by Mr. McEwen on the large maple trees then stand 

 ing about the corner of Brady and Third streets, near the center of the 

 city. They were then few in numbers and attracted little or no atten- 

 tion from passers by. In 1868 our fellow member, Mr. A. S. Tiffany, 

 noticed them in the same place, and took some specimens over to Mr. 

 Walsh, and these specimens formed part of the types of Lecanium aceri- 

 <iola Walsh and Riley. In 1870 they liad increased greatly in numbers, 

 and had extended their ravages to a distance of seven or eight blocks. 

 This year they attracted very general attention during the egg laying 

 period, on account of their very large and conspicuous egg nests, and 

 were made the subject of several newspaper articles. Prof. Sheldon 

 sent specimens to Mr. Riley who determined them to be the L. acericolci 

 above mentioned. In 1871 'they were still more abundant, and had ex- 

 tended their ravages to a distance of ten or twelve blocks. Many trees 

 showed evidences of great depletion, and a few^ died. During this year 

 I made my first studies of this insect,— but with very unsatisfactory re- 

 sults. A brief sketch of my observations of 1871 was published in the 

 Proceedings of this Academy, Vol. I, page 37, 1876. In 1872 they be- 

 came comparatively scarce, probably on account of the great increase of 



