156 



THE CLOVER-ROOT BORER. 



As has been pointed out by Mr. James Fletcher, this insect has become 

 known of late years in Canada, and we learn from an item in the Rural 

 New Yorker for September 15 that it has been found upon the Eural 

 farm on Long Island. This destructive enemj' of the clover plant is a 

 slow spreader, and it is very fortunate that this is the case, as it is a very 

 difiScult enemy to fight. 



A POINT IN FAVOR OF THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



Mr. J. G. Cooper, writing to the Pacific Rural Press of September 8, 

 1888, records the destruction of the Woolly Aphis upon his apple trees 

 by a large flock of young English sparrows, but is inclined to think that 

 it was due to the excessive dry weather, causing a scarcity of their usual 

 food. 



THE REAR-HORSE DOMESTICATED. 



Many of the old ofiflce desks in the Department of Agriculture here 

 at Washington have become badly infested with Roaches and Croton 

 Bugs, which feed upon almost everything left in the drawers. One of 

 the assistants in the Entomological Division was paying a visit some 

 days since to a lady employed in one of the other divisions, and to en- 

 tertain him she showed him what she called her "entomological pet." 

 This was a handsome female specimen o{ Mantis Carolina which she had 

 captured and domiciled upon her desk and fed with roaches until it had 

 become reconciled to its position. At the date of the visit the Mantis 

 seemed perfectly at home and the original insect inhabitants of the 

 desk were rapidly becoming less numerous. This practical application 

 of entomological knowledge is highly to be commended and greatly en- 

 courages the entomologists of the Department in their labors to diffuse 

 knowledge of the habits of insects ! 



A CALIFORNIA ENEMY TO WALNUTS. 



Mr. Ooquillett, writing us under date of April 16, gives an account of 

 a Tortricid larva which does a great deal of damage to Walnuts near Los 

 Angeles. We quote his note as follows. The description of the larva 

 comes first : 



Body greeu, sometimes tinged with yellow; piliferous spots lighter; spiracles 

 riuged with browu or black; cervical shield greenish, irregularly bordered behind 

 with black ; head yellowish ; a black or browu dot on each side of face, another on 

 lower part of clypeus; a black or brown triangle on each lobe of the head; sides of 

 head broadly and irregularly bordered with black or brown. Body nearly naked, 

 provided with IG legs. Length 14'"'". Lives singly in the green nuts of Jugtans 

 californlca. They usually enter the green nut near the stem end, and make from one 

 to three holes in it, out of which they push their black excrements, which collect in 

 a conspicuous heap at the moutli of each hole. After eating out the interior of one 

 of the nuts the larva deserts it and eats its way into a second nut, and this it con- 

 tinues until reaching its full growth. In the broedinjr caeo the full-grown larvae de- 



