90 



THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Dr. Trimble, N. J. — I have already answered you once, 

 but the MS miscarried. The large larva you send, with 

 the statement that it is destroying many dwarf pear-trees 

 near Hammonton, N. J. by boring them close to the ground, 

 is manifestly that of some Longicorn Beetle, and I think 

 belongs to the Priomis group. As it disagrees with the 

 described larvte of the genus Prionus in having very long 

 maxillary palpi and long antenuie, I think it will not im- 

 probably prove to be the larva of Orthosoma cylincb'icum, 

 which with us in Illinois is a pretty common insect. Au- 

 thors indeed state that this species inhabits pine-trees; 

 but I think this must be a mistake. It is common near 

 Rock Island, where we have no pine-trees. True, it 

 might breed here in pine lumber, of which we have plenty. 

 But in 1861 I took great numbers of this insect near the 

 inland town of Jonesboro', in South Illinois, where at 

 that date they had neither pine-lreos nor pine lumber, 

 the natives of that region using '•poplar'' (tulip-tree) or 

 "whitewood," where we northern folk.s who live handy 

 to the pineries use pine, Prionus laficoUis, as you are 

 aware, breeds in different species of Poplar. Prionus 

 imbricornis is our common species in Illinois, but where 

 that breeds is, I believe, unknown. Your larva arrived 

 in good order, and I hope to raise the perfect insect from 

 it, and settle all doubts on the above question. 



F. K. Phoenix, Illinois. — The cankerworm moths most- 

 ly come out in the spring and lay their eggs then, but a 

 few come out '.ate in the autumn and on warm days 

 through the winter and of course lay their eggs shortly 

 afterwards. This is what all the best writers say. 



Fred. Blanchard, Mass.— You ask, "what are the most 

 desirable works on Entomology for the beginner to have." 

 Answer — Kirby and Spence's Ititroduction to Entomology, 

 London, 1857, one thick duodecimo. Harris's Injurious 

 Insects, one octavo volume, with plates. Westwood's J;i- 

 troduction to Ctassification of Insects, London, 18.38 — 40; two 

 thick octave volumes, with very numerous outline draw- 

 ings. 



Thos. Siveter, Iowa. — Thanka for the Cankerworma, 

 most of which arrived in good health. The Potato Bugs 

 you send are the genuine new and highly improved spe- 

 cies — quite distinct from the old-fasnioued blister beetles 

 — respecting which see my Article in No. 1 of P. E. They 

 are swarming this year at Rock Island, and last autumn 

 I heard that they had already reached a point thirty 

 miles to the South East of us. We have to thank the 

 Eastern folks for the Bark-louse, the Locust-borer, the 

 Hessian Fly and the Wheat midge. Now we are going 

 to reciprocate the obligation, and furnish them with a 

 Western Bug with true, go-ahead, western propensities. 

 **Turn about is fair play." 



Henry Sbimer, Illinois. — The insects infesting the 

 White Pine (Pinus strobus,) that you forward do not be- 

 long to the Aphis family, (Plant-lice) as you suppose, but 

 to the Coccus family (Bark-lice.) The elongate white 

 scale on the leaf was described by Fitch as Aspidiotus 

 pimfolicE; the downy patches on the bark as Coccus 

 pinicorticis. But I believe they are the same species, the 

 former containing the eggs, like the scale of the common 

 Bark-louse of the apple tree, and the latter being the 

 young larvEo with downy matter exuding from them. No 

 one has yet obtained the winged males of this species; 

 and until this is done the genus to which it belongs can- 

 not be accurately determined. I suji])ose you are aware 

 that tlie females in this family never actiuire wings, and 

 that the males, unlike the 4-winged Plant-lice, have only 

 two wings. There was a large green cannibal larva, be- 

 longing to the Dipterous family Syrphuhe, that came 

 along with the lice and was probably unnoticed by you. 



Errata in No. 8. 



Page 77, column 1, line 4, for "Serica tricolor" read 

 ** Serica. iricolor." 



Page 77, column 2, line 24 from bottom, for "all the 

 true Bugs" read "almost all the true Bugs." 



Page 78, column I, line 3, for " without food" read 

 " without teeth." 



ACKNO WLEDGMENT. 



We thankfully ackowledge the receipt of the following 

 Bums, donated for the support of the Practical Entomo- 

 GIST ; — 



George Hunt, Rhode Island ,$2 00 



0. B DouglMS, Vermont 1 00 



Fred'k. Blanchard, Massachusetts 1 00 



Distribution and Habitat of Insects. 



The distribution of insects is in exact proportion 

 to the diffusion of plants; the richer any country 

 is in plants, the richer it is also in insects. The 

 polar regions, which produce but few plants, have 

 also but few insects ; whereas the luxuriant vege- 

 tation of the tropical countries feeds a numerous 

 host of insects. 



With respect to their habitation, insects are di- 

 vided into those which live upon land and water. 



Those which live in the water, either never leave 

 that element, or are able to li.ve at will, either in 

 the water or on the earth, at least for a short time; 

 for example, many water-beetles. Many live at 

 certain periods of their development in water; at 

 others, on land; such as many sorts of flies, and all 

 the dragon-flies, which as larvae and pupae live in 

 water, but as perfect insects on land, or in the air. 



Land insects live either in the earth, under 

 stones, in decayed wood, or in putrid animal sub- 

 stances. Of these some pass their whole lives in 

 these places, others only during a particular period 

 of their development. The larvas of the dung- 

 beetle live deep under the ground, while the per- 

 fect insect inhabits the excrement of animals ; many 

 of the larvas of flies live in carrion or excrement, 

 while the perfect insect flies about in the open air. 

 A very great number choose the different parts of 

 plants for their abode, as the roots, bark, inner 

 bark, alburnum, wood, pith, buds, flowers, leaves 

 and fruit. They change their abode in every new 

 stage of their development. Thus the bark-beetle, 

 which in the larva state lived under the bark, 

 swarms in its perfect state upon the trees, the cur- 

 oulio of the apple-tree, the larva of which infests 

 the bottom of the apple blossom, crawls on the 

 trees, or on the surrounding ground; the mining- 

 moth, which as a larva lives under the cuticle of 

 the leaves, flutters in its winged state about the 

 flowers and leaves. 



A small number live upon other animals, on the 

 skin, such as lice, or in the inside of the body, as 

 the ox and horse breeze-flies ( CEstridfe). The two 

 latter leave their first abode before entering the 

 pupa state, which they effect in the earth, and ho- 

 ver as flies round the animals to deposit their eggs 

 upon them. 



Most insects live solitarily, either without any 

 definite dwelling, or they con.«truct for themselves 

 a house composed of various kinds of vegetables or 

 animal matter; for example, many caterpillars. A 

 few species live in society, such as bees, ants, 

 wasps, &c. 



By obtaining a general knowledge of the abode 

 of insects, it is evident that the observer of the 

 economy of insects will be able more satisfactorily 

 to combat many that are injurious to him; thus he 

 can, with little trouble, greatly diminish or entire- 

 ly annihilate those that he has ascertained to live 

 in society, or in places of easy access. — KoUar. 



S^S-VJa have copies of the "Practical Entomologist," 

 published in Philadelphia, from which we glean valu- 

 able information. Success to such a work. — California 

 Farmer, 



