Insects Injurious to the Cherry. 199 



A strong paraffin wash may be used at that time, as the leaves will 

 have done most of their work. Xo wash will harm the eggs. 



As a remedy there is nothing better than soft soap and quassia ; 

 the latter is most essential for this pest, as it cleans off the foul 

 black debris ; the more put into the wash the better. 



The time to spray is wheu the black fly are as seen in the photo- 

 graph, namely, collected on the shoots, before the leaves are invaded. 

 Two washings are usually necessary. 



Good results have also been obtained with tobacco and soft soap 

 wash. 



REFERENCES. 



(1) Thonifis. C. Third Annual Report of the State Entomologist of Illinois, 



p. T->. 

 ( -2) Whitehead, Sir C. Report on Insects Injurious to Fruit, p. 78 (1886). 



(3) Ormerod, E. A. ' Handbook of Insects Injurious to Orchard and Bush 



Fruits,' p. 49 (1898). 



(4) French. C. 'A Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria,' pt. II., 



pp. 9-18 (1893). 



(5) BucMon, G. B. ' Monograph of the British Aphides,' I., p. 174 (1875). 



(6) Theobald, F. V. Report on Economic Zoology for the year ending 



April 1st. 1907, p. 48 (1907). 



A COMMON SHIELD BUG (Tropicoris rufipcx. Linn.) 

 ATTACKING CHERRY TREES. 



This large and handsome Shield Bug was received from Mr. 

 Emptage in August 1907, with a note that it was swarming over 

 cherry trees at St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, and doing considerable 

 damage. Larvse, nymphs and adults were sent, all taken at the 

 same time. 



Xo mention was made as to whether it had attacked the fruit. 

 An allied species, Pdtopliora pcdicdlata Kirby, called the Cherry Bug, 

 attacks the fruit in Xew South Wales (Miscellaneous Publications, 

 No. 538, ' Notes on Australian Hemiptera,' p. 3, 1901. Froggatt). 



This is a very abundant insect met with in most localities in 

 woods, fields and gardens. It even occurs in London. Although 

 it is said to be generally carnivorous in habits, and to live mainly 

 on the juices of caterpillars, I do not think that this is the usual 

 food, and believe it to be almost exclusively vegetarian. Professor 

 G. H. Carpenter tells me he finds it mainly vegetarian in Ireland. 

 The specimens received from St. Ives differ from the type in having 

 a yello\v apex to the scutellum, not an orange one. Mr. Distant 

 does not know the variety, and it is thus possibly undescribed. 



