198 



all the early stages, varying from very small ones up to nearly full- 

 grown specimens, none however being winged. 



In October several trees on La Fayette square, in front of the Cosmos 

 Club, were also noticed to be infested, the brick walk beneath being 

 similarly stained by them. 



This species was described by Professor Riley in 1883, in the American 

 Naturalist for February of that year, with a notice of its excessive abun- 

 dance in 1882, not only in Washington, but in many other parts of the 

 United States.— T. T. 



TWO ALIEN PESTS OF THE GREENHOUSE. 



Of the food habits of the adult Locust Borer very little appears to 

 have been observed, although they are known to frequent the blossoms 

 of Solidago during September. 



On two occasions these beetles have been brought to me by the florist 

 of Purdue University, with the complaint that they were found in the 

 greenhouse eating the leaves of roses, and in no case were they ob- 

 served to molest other plants. 



On October 11 complaints came from the same quarter regarding a 

 bug which clustered on the buds of Chrysanthemums, causing the latter 

 to discolor. Inspection revealed the depredator to be the Tarnished 

 Plant-bug, in the pupal and adult stages, the latter predominating. 

 These were not observed to attack any other plant, and were destroyed 

 by fumigating with tobacco smoke. — F. M. W. 



[We doubt the accuracy of the observation as to Cyllene robiniw eat- 

 ing rose leaves. — Eds.] 



THE FOOD-HABITS OF NORTH AMERICAN CALANDRIDAE. 



We take this opportunity to publish (suggested by our article on the 

 Sandwich Island Sugar-cane Borer) a short review of the food-habits of 

 the North American Calandrid.T, to which family the genus Spheno- 

 phortis belongs, derived both from published records and our own 

 notes. As will be seen, there is considerable diversity even among the 

 comparatively few genera of our fauna. 



The genus Calandra infests stored grains (wheat, corn, rice, etc.). 



The genera Dryotribus, Gononotus, Macrancylus, Mesites (?), Elassoptes 

 are strictly maritime and live iu larva and imago states in old boards, 

 roots, etc., washed up on the beach. 



The genera Dryophtliorus^ Himatium, Gossojnus, Alloinimus, Caulo- 

 philus, Phloeophagus, Wollastonia, Amaurorhinus, Rhyncolus, Stenoscelis 

 live under bark of dead and decaying wood, or bore into decaying wood 

 of deciduous or coniferous trees. 



RhodobamuH l3-punctatus infests the stems of various plants, Xan- 

 thium strumarium, Ambrosia, and Thistle. 



