98 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



species mine in the liber, where they lay their 

 eggs. The larvEe continue the galleries thus 

 formed by the female and transform beneath 

 the bark. The adults of some species also 

 eat the buds of evergreens, so mutilating 

 the tree as usually to effect its destruction 

 in the end. These noxious insects are of 

 small size, varying from half a millimeter 

 to six millimeters in length, they are all of 

 a dusky hue and are nocturnal in their 

 habits, remaining buried in the wood or 

 beneath the bark by day. Their larvae are 

 of course always hidden, and are subject 

 to the attack of woodpeckers only. 



The Bnichidie (or weevils), which infest 

 peas and other leguminous seeds, do not 

 seem to be noticed by birds, and the author 

 has seen infested by Bnichits beds of peas 

 in which the linnet {fauvette habillarde) 

 had built its nest. Sparrows are often 

 seen among the vines, but they destroy the 

 peas themselves. 



" The sparrow is a pillager who carries 

 on his depredations in the harvest-field, 

 in the garden, in the granary, and among 

 the ripe grapes on our trellises ; and I 

 cannot join in the kind of worship paid 

 him by certain persons more credulous of 

 his pretended utility than struck by his 

 instinct of rapine and waste." 



Almost all of the Cerambyddce (wood- 

 borers), are lignivorous, but the great 

 majority of them feed only on dead wood 

 or on trees too unhealthy to have any great 

 value. The ravages of the injurious 

 species are readily controlled by man, as 

 it suffices to cut down and bark the dead 

 trees. The larvae of this family live always 

 under cover, and the adults are many of 

 them nocturnal and many of. them large 

 enough to take care of themselves. A few 

 of the smaller or medium-sized individuals 

 are doubtless eaten by birds, but in too 

 small numbers appreciably to diminish the 

 mass. 



Among the Chrysomelidce (leaf -feeders), 

 are mentioned Colaphiis ater, a scourge in 

 the fields of lucerne, neglected by the 

 birds, which do not frequent these fields ; 

 certain Galerucidcs which attack the slum, 

 but which no birds are known to eat, not- 



withstanding their immense numbers in 

 some years ; and Halticides which injure 

 young cabbages, turnips and beets, but are 

 of so minute a size that a bird would dis- 

 dain to open his beak for one of them. 



The author does not regard the non- 

 migratory grass-hoppers and locusts as 

 sufficiently harmful to make their destruc- 

 tion by birds a matter of especial import- 

 ance. 



Of the Neuroptera, all are entirely in- 

 offensive except the white ants, Termites, 

 and these "laugh at the birds." Only the 

 winged form is exposed to them in May. 



Among the Hymenoptera, only the Saw- 

 flies, Horn-tails, Ants and Wasps are es- 

 pecially mentioned. Of the first two fam- 

 ilies it is admitted that birds eat a few, but 

 their larva; are usually not exposed. Ants 

 are regarded as annoying rather than in- 

 jurious. They eat fruit, but only that 

 which has been previously injured. Al- 

 though many are eaten, they are neverthe- 

 less abundant everywhere. 



Wasps are usually able to take care of 

 themselves. The hornet is an especially 

 annoying pest, catching bees and eating 

 grapes and other fruits. 



The Hemiptera are next reviewed. A 

 pernicious cabbage hwgi^Strachia oleracea), 

 although conspicuous by its brilliant color, 

 and working all day entirely exposed to 

 the birds, is unmolested by them because 

 it is not appetizing, M. Perris dwells upon 

 the variety and extent of the injury done 

 by plant-lice (including Phylloxera), de- 

 scribes their abundance and enormous 

 fecundity, but says that birds do not amuse 

 themselves with so minute a prey, and 

 apparently do not like them, but are much 

 more likely to pick out of a serried phalanx 

 of aphides the larger larval Syrp/tus, Coc- 

 cinella or Lace-wing, which is feeding upon 

 them. The same remarks apply to the en- 

 ormously destructive bark-lice as well. The 

 Thrips, which sometimes blights the flowers 

 of fruits and grain, falls likewise under the 

 category of insects too minute to be no- 

 ticed by a bird. 



Among the £>iptcra, the CecidomyicE first 

 demand attention. The plants upon which 



