20 



cua not wait longer for others, I send you what you will find inclosed, hoping they will 

 be sufficient for you to identify the species. I am preparing a report on A. ruficollis for 

 our Experiment Station, and due credit will be given in my report. 



I have been studying the life history of J. ruficollis for over a year, have examined 

 hundreds of canes of the red and black raspberry, the blackberry, and dewberry, and 

 on March 11, 1890, I discovered for the first time that the Agrilus larv* had all been 

 destroyed in my black cap raspberry canes. I have not, however, found a single one 

 of these parasite cocoons in the wild blackberry briers where the Agrilus larvse are 

 quite plentiful. 



Yesterday, May 8, I found a lady -bird {Rippodamia maculata) on a clover leaf at- 

 tached to the cocoon of its parasite, Centistes americana (Insect Life, Vol. I, No. 4, 

 p. 103). As there seems to be some doubt as to where the parasite larva makes its 

 exit from the body of the Coccinellid, I made a thorough examination of this speci- 

 men (which you will find inclosed in the quill, No. 4) while it was yi t alive. On 

 opening the elytra the abdomen was easily tipped back, readily separating from the 

 metasternum, causing me to believe that this thoracico-abdominal suture is really the 

 place of exit, as suggested by you on page 102, Insect Life, as above. The form of 

 the anterior abdominal segment would naturally cause the abdomen to tip back or 

 up when the larva would attempt to force its way out at this point. I found an- 

 other parasitized specimen to-day, attached to the bark of an apple-tree, the same 

 conditions existing as with the one I send you. 



I also inclose you another example of an insect, being impressed in paper, for your 

 inspection. It was taken from a late bulletin of the South Dakota Experiment Sta- 

 tion. — [A. D. Hopkins, Kanawha Station, W. Va., May 9, 1890. 



Reply. — The parasite which you have reared from Agrilus ruficollis is a new species 

 of the genus Bracon. 



It is in all probability a primary parasite, as the species of this genus are reared 

 from Coleopterous larvae. I hardly know what to make of your statement that it is- 

 sued from the side of its cocoon and not from the end, but will keep the three cocoons 

 to observe the issuing of other specimens. The parasite on Hippodamia maculata you 

 will find IS the species described by Professor Riley on page 338 of Vol. I of Insect 

 Life, as Perilitus americanus. 



You are unquestionably correct in your opinion as to the point of issuance of this 

 larva from the Lady-bird. 1 regret to state that your insect impressed in paper could 

 not be found in your envelope. Did you omit to send it? — [May 13, 1890.] 



The Tent Caterpillar. 



Our town (Barriugton, R. I.) is infested with the Tent Caterpillar (Clisiocampa 

 americana). Every wild-cherry tree in the town is covered with them. At the last 

 meeting of the Improvement Society the propriety of cutting down the wild-cherry 

 trees was discussed. Some thought the cherry-trees attracted them from fruit-trees, 

 and that it was better to kill the caterpillars and leave the cherry-trees; others 

 thought the trees were breeding places for the caterpillars, and consequently largely 

 increased their numbers. Which is right ? — [J. H. Griffith, Harrington, R. I., May 14, 

 1890. 



Reply. — Your favor of the 14th inst., relative to the Tent Caterpillar, has been re- 

 ceived. The answer to your question depeuds, I should imagine, largely upon the 

 number of wild-cherry trees in the vicinity of your orchards. Supposing that the 

 wild-cherry trees are very numerous and that the caterpillars are allowed to breed 

 upon them unmolested, the numbers of the pests will undoubtedly increase upon this 

 their favorite food plant, and the overflow will spread to the orchards. If, however, 

 the number is very small it will pay to allow them to remain, provided some meas- 

 ures are taken for destroying the worms as fast as their tents become perceptible. 

 Where there are only a few wild-cherry trees they will always be infested, and the 

 moths will always lay their eggs upon them in preference to other trees. On account 



