393 



underthe immediate supervision of Inspector Richardson, of Pasadena, whom T know 

 to be a very careful and conscientious person, and the larvie therefore did not escape 

 being destroyed simply through the carelessness or indifference of those who dipped 

 the trees. * ^ * [D. w. Coquillett, Los Angeles, California, January 7, 1891. 



Reply. — # * » (Sanninajjacj^ca undoubtedly differs from jS. exittosa as follows: 



The female of pacifica differs from that of exitiosa only in lacking the red band 

 across the abdomen and in the absence of the black border along the last two veins 

 of the hind wings; and the male only in its broader apical margin of the front wings 

 and the presence of a short black dash a little in front of the middle of the anterior 

 margin of the hind wings. 



The differences in the pupa are quite marked. In the Californian species there are 

 six double rows of teeth, two on each of segments 2-7, with a single row on the last 

 two segments; while on that oH exitiosa there are but five double rows of teeth, two 

 on each of segments 9-6, and a single row on the last three. 



The only jterceptible though apparently quite constant difference in the larvse is 

 that in the Californian species the head is perfectly smooth, without any sculpturing, 

 and uniform in coloration, whereas in exitiosa it is marked posteriorly with 4 or 5 

 oblique, darker brown stripes or spots each side, and is slightly reticulated or granu- 

 lated. — [January 17, 1691.] 



Some New Injurious Insects in Russia. 



* * * I take this opportunity of sending you a few words on the newest obser- 

 vations on injurious insects in Russia. 



During this summer I discovered near Moscow, on the buds of Black Currant, Phy- 

 toptus ribis Westw., and it appeared that this mite is quite injurious here, as it causes 

 numerous shoots to die. I had occasion to visit several gardens where this pest had 

 appeared in great numbers. Hitherto it had never been observed in Russia. 



Another novelty for the Russian fauna is Mytilapsis citricola Pack., which was 

 recently found by me in a hothouse near Moscow on lemon (Citrus medica) , oa the 

 leaves as well as on the fruit. Of course this insect can with us never acquire such 

 importance as it has in Florida, but the fact of its occurrence near Moscow is of great 

 interest and seems to corroborate Professor Comstock's supposition, who asserted that 

 the insect came to America from Europe. (See Report of the Entomologist, etc., for 

 the year 1880 (1881), p. 323.) 



Much damage has been done the past summer in the whole middle Russia hj Psylla 

 mali to Apple and Pear. In western Europe this insect appears to be less injurious 

 than with us. In middle Russia I have seen orchards this summer which did not 

 bear a single apple since the buds had been killed by the sucking of the larvie of the 

 Psylla. — [Prof. Dr. K. Lindeman, Moscow, Russia, December 1, 1889. 



Some Traits of the English Sparrow in England. 



I read what you are so good as to send me with great pleasure at all times, but 

 your last present of the " English Sparrow " delights me very much ; your views are 

 precisely mine. My friend James, who assisted Gurney in his book on the subject, 

 thinks that the sparrow costs us as much as the total expense of the British army. 

 I consider the sparrows to be more destructive than rats or mice, and I feel certain 

 that, as the numbers increase and the struggle for existence becomes more severe, 

 they will develop new destructive habits. I will illustrate what I mean : Our gar- 

 dens in spring are adorned with the crocus, and in my younger days they were not 

 injured by sparrows; but some 20 years ago they began to destroy the blooms of the 

 yellow crocus only (Crocus aureus). The style of this species is short. For many 

 years I noticed that the blue and white species {Crocus vermis) was unmolested, but 

 for sometime they have taken to destroying the flowers of this species. It has a long 

 style, and is never yellow, but once having found out its edibility, they mar the 



