1838. HOUSE— No. 72. 61 



bodies of trees. The larvae that are known to me have a close re- 

 semblance to each other ; a general idea of them can be formed from 

 a description of that which attacks the pig-nut tree. It is of a yel- 

 lowish white color, elongated and depressed in form, and abruptly- 

 dilated near the anterior extremity. The head is brownish, small, and 

 merged in the next segment ; the jaws are tridentate at the points, 

 and of a black color ; and the antennae are very short. The 

 segment which receives the head (collar,) is short and transverse ; 

 next to it is a large, oval segment, broader than long, depress- 

 ed or flattened above and beneath ; it forms the thoracic portion 

 of the body. Behind this, the segments are very much narrowed 

 and, from transverse, become gradually quadrate, but are still flat- 

 tened, to the last, which is terminated by a rounded tubercle. There 

 are no legs, nor any apparatus which can serve as such, except two 

 small tubercles on the under side of the second segment from the 

 thorax. The motion of the larva appears to be affected by the 

 alternate contractions and elongations of the segments, aided, per- 

 haps, by the tubercular extremity of the body, and by seizing hold, 

 with the mandibles or jaws, upon the sides of its burrow. These 

 larvae are found under the bark and in the solid wood of trees, and 

 sometimes in ereat numbers. It is not uncommon for them to bend 

 the body sideways, so that the head and tail are approximated. This 

 posture those found under bark usually assume. They appeared to 

 pass more than one year in the larva state. 



The pupa bears a near resemblance to the perfect insect, but is 

 entirely white, until near the time of its last transformation. Its situ- 

 ation is immediately under the bark, the head being directed out- 

 wards, so that when the pupa coat is cast off, the perfect insect has 

 merely a thin covering of bark to perforate, before making its escape 

 from the tree. The form of this perforation is oval, as is also a 

 transverse section of the burrow, that shape being best adapted to 

 the form, motions and egress of the insect. Buprestis Virgin- 

 ica is probably our largest species. It inhabits the trunks of the 

 Pinus rigida or pitch-pine tree. Buprestis divaricata is exceed- 

 ingly injurious to the Prunus Virginiensis or wild cherry-tree, and 

 sometimes attacks the peach tree. The perfect insect appears oo 

 the limbs of these trees in June, July, and August. 



