570 



THE STUDY OF INSECTS. 



wing-cover. Its larva bores in the wood of pine-trees. On 

 one occasion the writer found many of them in a pine-tree 

 eight inches in diameter, which they had bored through and 

 through. When the larva is full grown it makes a hole 

 nearly through the thick bark of the tree, so that it may 

 easily push its way out after its transformations ; it then 

 retreats a short distance, and makes a little ring of chips 

 around itself, between the bark and the wood, and changes 

 to a pupa within this rude cocoon. The adult beetle remains 

 in this pupal cell through the winter. 



The Cloaked Knotty-horn, Desmocerus palliatus (Des- 

 moc'e-rus pal-li-a'tus). This beautiful insect is of a dark- 

 blue color, with greenish reflections. 

 The basal part of the wing-covers is 

 orange-yellow, giving the insect the 

 appearance of having a yellow cape 

 thrown over its shoulders (Fig. 693). 

 The segments in the middle of the 

 antennae are thickened at the outer 

 end, so that they look like a series 

 FlG - 6 93- of knots. The adult is found quite 



common in June and July on elder, in the pith of which the 

 larva bores. 



The Beautiful Maple-borer, Plaginotus speciosus (Plag-i- 

 no'tus spe-ci-o'sus). This is a very handsome insect, marked 

 with black and yellow, as indicated in Fig- 

 ure 694. It lays its eggs in midsummer 

 on the trunks of sugar-maples, in the wood 

 of which the larvae bore. If an infested 

 tree be examined in the spring the pres- 

 ence of these borers can be detected by 

 the dust that falls from the burrows. The 

 larvae can be destroyed at this time by the 

 use of a knife and a stiff wire. 



The Locust-borer, Cyllene robince (Cyl- 

 le'ne ro-bin'i-ae). To the enthusiastic en- FIG. 6 94 . 



