1838. HOUSE— No. 72. 91 



bushes, seem to be its natural food ; and the perfect insects are fre- 

 quently found on the leaves of these plants during the months of 

 June and July. It is at this time that the eggs are deposited, be- 

 ing laid upon the bark near the root. The larva is elongated, 

 nearly cylindrical, rather larger towards the head, and is destitute 

 of feet. It cuts, with its strong jaws, a passage through the bark 

 into the wood, and the place of its operations is known by the 

 castings which it thrusts backwards out of the hole. The larva state 

 continues two or three years, at the expiration of which time the in- 

 sect has extended the channel several inches in length up the trunk of 

 the tree, at its termination approaching the bark and covered only by 

 it. In this channel its final transformation takes place. The pupa 

 does not differ greatly from other pupae of the Coleoptera ; but it 

 has the tail armed with short spines, and a transverse series ou each 

 of the dorsal segments. These spines probably assist the insect in 

 its movements when the pupa coat is to be cast ofF. This occurs 

 about the first of June ; the perfect insect penetrates the thin cover- 

 ing of bark which was left over the upper extremity of its channel, 

 and emerges from its place of confinement during the night. 



Various means have been tried for destroying the borers in the 

 apple tree. An ingenious mechanic, Mr. Hersey, was very suc- 

 cessful in cutting thein out with a gouge ; he then covered the wounds 

 with composition, and, in vigorous trees, the bark soon closed over 

 them. Where great numbers of borers infest one tree this method 

 is injudicious ; such an extensive removal of the bark, as nearly to 

 girdle the tree, interrupts materially its healthy functions. Instead, 

 therefore, of a free use of the gouge and knife, it will be more pru- 

 dent to introduce a wire so as to destroy the larvae in their holes. 

 Plugging the external orifice has been practised by some persons, 

 and, as they assert, with success. Others have recommended put- 

 ting camphor in the hole and then plugging it. The latter promises 

 to be more effectual, but experiments are wanting to confirm its ex- 

 pediency. 



There are several small species of Saperda in this State, distin- 

 guished by the extreme slenderness of the body, which is almost or 

 quite cylindrical. Such are the insects named Saperda plumbea and 

 tripunctata. The larvae of these species are not, strictly speaking, 

 wood-eater», for they consume the pith only of plants. They are 



