236 



inaccessible. Miss Smith's observations were tolerably complete. She 

 knew the egg, the young- larva, the male pai)a, the adult male, and the 

 adult female. She also reared an interesting parasite, and followed the 

 development of the Pseudococcus throughout the year. Her observa- 

 tions were made in Peoria, 111., and she found the insect in only two 

 localities in. that city and upon the hard or sugar maple alone, whereas 

 in Europe it is a very common species, and occurs also upon the elm, 

 linden, and chestnut. 



Since the publication of Miss Smith's article, and the recei})t from 

 her of specimens of this insect as well as its parasite, the species has 

 never been received at this office, although many hundi-eds of send- 

 ings of Coccidte of many forms and from very many parts of the 

 country have come in. This fact alone fixes the rarity of the species. 

 It is possible that it has been more abundant than this fact would 

 indicate, and that it has been mistaken by casual observers for the 

 cottony maple scale. This, however, is hardly likely, since the latter 

 insect is one of the species most commonly received at the office. As 

 has happened so many times with other comparatively rare insects, 

 the maple Pseudococcus has suddenly become a species of more or less 

 importance, and during the j>resent season, after a lapse of fourteen 

 years, we have received it from four different localities, each time with 

 reports of abundance. 



The first receipt was from Mr. John G. Jack, of the Arnold Arbore- 

 tum, who writes me that the species is very abundant in some locali- 

 ties in the vicinity of Jamaica Plain, Mass. (five miles southwest of 

 Boston), and in some parts of Brookline, particularly on some fine old 

 sugar maples on the estate of Prof. 0. S. Sargent. Sijecimens were 

 sent by Mr. Jack, under date of July 21, and consisted of full-grown 

 females bearing eggs, upon maple leaves. The second receipt was 

 through the American Florist, at Chicago, from Rea Bros., of Norwood 

 Nurseries, Norwood, Mass. Norwood is fifteen miles southwest from 

 Boston. Rea Bros, sent specimens upon the bark of maple, and wrote 

 that the maple from which the bark was taken had the main trunk 

 and many branches covered with the insect, and that it was spreading 

 to other maple trees near by. The third receipt was from Prof. W. Gr. 

 Johnson, of the State Laboratory of National History, at Champaign, 

 111., who, under date of August 29, sent specimens and wrote that he 

 had received them on the leaf of a sugar maple from Mount Carmel, 

 111. Mount Carmel is 175 miles southeast of Peoria, the locality in 

 which Miss Snuth originally studied the species. The fourth receipt 

 was from Prof. L. P. Kinney, Horticulturist and Acting Botanist of 

 the Rhode Island Experiment Station at Kingston, R. I. He sends 

 specimens of the females on maple leaves under date of September 17, 

 stating that his attention had been called to them several times during 

 the present season, and that he had supposed them to be identical with 

 the ordinary cottony maple scale. It is quite within the bounds of 



