168 COLOEADO POTATO-BEETLE. 



off and burning these branches, as one important step in eradicating 

 the insects. A handsome Scotch pine in one of my neighbor's yard, 

 npon which I made many of my observations, has been treated in this 

 way, and the Lady-bugs having been busy at work upon the remain- 

 ing branches, the tree is now almost free from its destructive parasites. 

 Owing to the absence of the author at the time of the printing of the 

 second edition of the first report, the highly magnified figure of the 

 male ©f this species, which was there referred to, was omitted. I have 

 therefore had it prefixed to the present notice. In order to show clearly 

 the characters of this insect, which is of much scientific interest, it has 

 been drawn very greatly magnified. The insect itself is very minute, 

 being only about one fiftieth of an inch in length. 



THE COLORADO POTATO-BEETLE. 



{Doryphora, 10-lin$ata, Say.) 

 Supplementary to tke Author's article upon this Insect In his First Report. 



The experiences of the past season, with regard to this comparatively 

 new but now widely known noxious insect, have been remarkable, and 

 not satisfactorily explained. It was the general report, especially in 

 the northern parts of Illinois and Indiana and the southern parts ot 

 Wisconsin and Michigan, that these insects made their appearance in 

 the spring in greater numbers than ever before, and it was the general 

 impression that the potato crop was doomed to destruction. As the 

 season progressed the reports became more favorable, and the result 

 has been that a tolerable crap of potatoes has been harvested, notwith- 

 standing that it also had to contend with drouth as well as insects, in 

 the latter part of the season. Any one may obtain sufficient testimony 

 to the accuracy of this statement, by reading the unfavorable reports of 

 the National Department of Agriculture, for the months of May and 

 June, and comparing them with the favorable and hopeful accounts of 

 this crop in the same series of reports for the month of July. This 

 favorable change was attributed partly to persistent hand-picking and 

 the free use of Paris-green, and partly to the increased numbers of the 

 natural enemies of the Potato-bag, especially the Armed Soldier-bug 

 {Anna spinosj)^ which destroys the Potato-bugs mostly whilst in the 

 immature state, by puncturing tiiera and extracting their juices, and 

 the Many-spotted Lady-bug {Hlppodamia maculata)^ which checks 



